The Orphan Prophecy
by narnia and beareject fan 1
Summary: A prophecy as old as time itself stands hidden and forsaken within the wild; along with it, the power to change good to bad. With the weight of Narnia resting on their shoulders, it's up to Athalia, Abigail, and the two new kings to find it before it's too late...
1. Chapter 1: The Protector

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia, just my characters and plot line.**

 **Hey readers! Welcome to my new story! Not the sequel to TKATS, I want to make that extremely clear now, this is a brand new one. Basically it's one I wrote a while ago and just never got around to posting, so I figured while I'm writing the sequel to my other story, I'd upload this one! May as well considering I put so much time and effort into it. Updates will be on a weekly basis, either Friday or Saturday (whenever I remember in other words. ;) )**

 **Special shout out to lost-in-elysium  for being amazing beta's throughout the whole story! I really do appreciate it!**

 **One quick thing, the main characters name is pronounced A - th - a - leah just to be annoying or a - leah when it's shortened. I preferred the way I spelt it, but just recently realised that people have a million way of pronouncing it, so just wanted to clear up any confusion.**

 **Anyway, um, I think that's all, so enjoy and see you at the bottom!**

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 **Chapter 1: Protector**

 **Athalia POV**

It turns to me with fiery, black eyes; it's stare delving straight into my soul as it takes a few steps forward. It's fur is as black as midnight and has tinges of red to it; obviously blood from the sure prey he has stalked. His massive body outweighs my small one by at least ten kilograms, but I am not frightened. Minotaurs used to terrify me, but that was a long time ago. Now they've just become part of my daily routine.

He roars at me, the sound reverberating through the whole town of Meteor Hole Village, before he begins running straight at me. I swing my steel sword up in defence to block the blow that he gives me with his curved, silver scimitar. I'm vaguely aware of the crowd that gathers as I block blow after blow. I hear him roar again as he hits me with a large, powerful knock right to the head. I stumble back a few metres before I feel the back of my ankles knock against what feels like a rock. I shut my eyes tightly as I fall back first onto the path.

I hear a loud gasp followed by a whispered murmur come from the crowd whilst I lay still for a second or so. I groan in pain as I reach up and touch my forehead slightly, feeling the stickiness of the blood that has started oozing out of the cut stain my hand. The Minotaur roars unexpectedly again as the loud stamping of his feet running along the hard ground rings throughout the air and ground. I open my eyes and look quickly towards my right hand which is, thankfully, still holding my sword. I smile at the fact that it's even still here before I jump up eagerly. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest as I hold it back up, ready to fight him. I take a slight step back to steady myself; it wouldn't do for me to trip over again just because I'm unbalanced. The creature runs at me eagerly whilst I smirk wickedly at it, waiting for the slash of his scimitar. It comes a second later as I block the attack. I manage to get my sword under the curve of his then before flicking it out of his hands, with quite a bit of pressure I might add. It falls to the ground and lands on a rock with a hard clanging sound. I smile at him.

"Bye," I say simply. I take his second of shock to swipe his head clean off of his body with a hard swing of my sword. His body falls to the ground with a loud crash before it becomes completely silent; I could have heard a pin drop. I walk forward and kick its body slightly. "None of you have to worry, he is definitely dead," I re-assure them all. There are cheers all around me suddenly as I pick up its head and throw it away effortlessly. I continue to walk over to the side of the path where there is a visible patch of bright, green grass. I clean my sword on it to get the blood off of it – I hate having dirty swords – before standing again and looking back over to the crowd that has gathered.

"Thank you, for saving me, Athalia," the small, blond-haired faun tells me. His freckled face looks up to me in awe and I smile in return.

"You're very welcome, just remember; if a minotaur ever attacks you at a food stand again, make sure to try and escape the stand before he hurts you, got it?"

"Absolutely!" he exclaims just as his mother comes running up to him. She pulls him into a hug tight enough to almost suck the air out of him. I smile brightly at the nurturing exchange before I tap into the sound of someone running up behind me.

"Are you okay, Alia? That was a massive blow you got to your head," my best friend, Keziah says as she takes her place in front of me. In her hands she's holding a wet cloth for the blood that I can feel is dripping down my head. She gently pats it down. Ouch! I can't help, but cringe. "I'm sorry, I am well aware of the fact that it probably hurts like crazy."

"You're not wrong about that. I feel like this is worse than the cut I got from that giant last year," I say through gritted teeth.

"It is; much worse. I wish I would've taken a healing remedy when I left home," she responds, mostly to herself mind you. Keziah is, unlike most of the creatures in Narnia, a Calormene. She has a lanky build with dark, tanned skin and green eyes. Her hair is jet black and is almost always tied back in the most intricate of designs. She's also an amazing storyteller. I constantly ask her to tell me stories about Calormen and her life there because the way she puts them is just so entertaining. I feel her wipe the blood away for a few more minutes, myself in pain, before she frowns. Oh no…

"Is it deep?" I ask her. I do not want to have to try and hide it again from the ever protective Miss Fink. She takes the cloth away to examine the slice for a second.

"It's not too bad, just bleeding badly. Katerane – I mean Miss Fink – will probably have a heart attack when she sees it though. I would probably try and hide it from her for as long as possible if I was you." I groan at her comment while she just laughs it off. Kez knows exactly what it takes to annoy me.

"I will take that into consideration. Thanks, Kez," I reply as she hands me the wet cloth. I hold it up against my forehead tightly knowing that the only thing that is going to stop the bleeding is pressure on the cut; I know this from experience. I hear the loud clanging of the large bell from the gate start then, instantly alerting the town to the fact that all the men are about to get home.

This village is the place where the majority of the guards of Cair Paravel live, or their families anyway, so, in other words, all our strong, brave, muscular men are off protecting the new Kings and Queens at the castle during the day while this place is left completely defenceless; hence the reason why I just killed a minotaur. It isn't a big deal for me though, I do this almost daily and have since I was around ten; the scars that cover my body from head to toe are definite proof of that. This village seems to be a target for anything that's naturally on the evil side. Yesterday we had five ghouls come in, the day before that was a group of black dwarves, the day before that was a raid of sprites, the day before that – well, you get the point. Everyone in the village calls me 'The Protector'. Any time something enters the village without approval I'm called forward to kill it; not that I'm complaining in the slightest. It keeps me entertained rather than just leaving me to sit around bored in the orphanage while I wait for the others to finish their schooling for the day.

Keziah and I both take a look at the wooden entrance to our town before we both take a seat on the dusty ground, our usual routine for this time of the night. I lean forward a little as I eagerly watch on. I have always wanted to work in the castle as a guard and so, therefore, am a little envious of all the creatures that get to. I'm sure most of you are saying, "well that's easily solved, just get a job there," but the problem is that there is no way in a million years that anyone in the castle would ever consider hiring me as a guard, so I'm stuck here, wishing and dreaming.

Most of the guards walk in through the main entrance slowly then; o _bviously tired as can be seen by all the drowsy steps and slouched heads._ As each of them enters, they instantly say bye to each other before splitting off into different directions. I spy a familiar face among the crowd and quickly tap Keziah on the shoulder before pointing over to him.

"Oh, father's home! That means mother will be home soon too. I'd better go and get ready so that I can give her a hand with dinner. I will see you tomorrow, Alia." She gives me a quick, tight hug before quickly standing and running up to her centaur 'father' and giving him a huge hug too. As you probably can tell, Enolite isn't her real father at all. You see Keziah snuck away from her home in Calormen when she was twelve. She couldn't stand the place, or her family for that matter, so when she came to Narnia she had no one, until Enolite and his wife, Grassweed, found her. They took her in instantly and have raised her as their own daughter ever since. They're both centaurs too which makes for quite a funny family.

I smile up at them as they walk past me together, along with a few other guards who all live around the same area. I sigh and look out to the colourful forest. Will I ever be allowed to travel out of this imprisonment by myself? I'm the kind of girl that craves adventure. I want to be able to run around and battle evil forces and explore the country, but I'm not allowed to do any of that type of stuff which is why I love fighting the evil creatures when they enter the village. I would die a happy woman if I could just go on one adventure. I sigh at the thoughts that drift through my mind and turn my head a little so that I can look out to the calm, peaceful ocean.

A soft breeze is blowing gently through the air and I happily notice a few, jolly mermaids playing in the tumbling, blue and green waves. As I watch the pretty scene in front of me, it changes wistfully. The sky, that was a gleaming blue, is now swapping casually from yellow to orange, then from orange to pink, and from pink to red before finally settling on black. Slowly one by one the stars start to appear, each of them joyfully getting into their usual places for the night. I can almost hear all of their terrestrial voices singing gleefully in the heavens. I try to spot the three main constellations of this area once I can see most of the stars and quickly find 'The Hammer'. I spot 'The Ship' next and then, finally, my eyes land on 'The Leopard'. I sigh happily at the familiar stars before I hear the light ringing of the orphanage bell for dinner; a very different noise from the deep base of the town bell.

I get up slowly from my position on the ground before I start to wander down the now quiet town while looking at all the different houses as I pass. The dirt path is illuminated by the light glow of the moon as I presently arrive at the old orphanage. I can hear the peeling laughter of the younger girls coming from inside as I watch their vague shadows move around from behind the torn, tattered, cream-coloured curtains that are covering the small windows. Miss Fink's voice shouts out over the noise quickly before all goes quiet. I walk over to the front, wonky gate only to realise that it was left open. I hide my sudden annoyance at whoever forgot to close it as I look at the dark weeds that cover the fence and pathway. Someone should really tidy that up. I add it to my to-do list as I slowly drift inside the enclosure and close the gate.

I walk up to the old, front door, bracing myself for the sure attack that I'm about to receive, before I open it. Instead of an attack though, I instantly get flooded by the delicious aroma of cooked bear meat – which is extremely scarce. I killed this one yesterday though – and before you ask, no, it was not a talking bear, we checked, believe me – while I was out hunting with Keziah and happily skinned it and took it home for Miss Fink. Bear meat is extremely expensive and so is their skin – which I sold to a dwarf blacksmith for ten gold crescents – so Miss Fink was pretty happy with my catch in the end. I smile at the brief image of her happy, smiling face as I hang up my sword and belt at the front door.

My feet lead me effortlessly into the front, sitting room, as I glance around the room. Our orphanage used to be an old horse stable; hence the reason why centaurs are able to live in it. Its ceilings are high and windows in the house vary in sizes and shapes. The stable itself is surrounded by forest and has a great view of Glasswater. This particular room is made of a very light wood. In it we have an old, stone fireplace, a large, beaten-up, brown lounge, and some large, hay piles for the centaurs to sit on. We also have a few bookshelves, all made of the same wood as the walls, and a large burgundy rug lying across the floor. On the wall, above one of the various mantelpieces that are scattered around the room, is a gorgeous painting of Aslan. All of us girls love it. It's a painting of his face and he looks very fierce and majestic indeed. It isn't frightening though, more of a reminder of his power and strength. I smile at it before taking the wet cloth off of my head and putting it in the hole in the kitchen. The once white cloth is now stained with bright, red blood. I look at it worriedly. The bleeding better have stopped by now. I grab a new one all the same though and quickly hold it to the cut.

"Alright, girls, dinner time!" I hear Miss Fink chime right before the sound of ten, hungry, little, orphan girls running excitedly into the dining room sounds. I stroll in slowly afterwards before sitting casually down in my usual spot at the ancient, wooden, dining table. I hear the clunk of each stone plate as Miss Fink places them down in front of each of us.

"What happened to your forehead?" That didn't take long. I look up at Harrena's horrified expression and grimace.

"A minotaur hit me," I state simply like it's nothing out of the ordinary, which, for me, it isn't. I pick my fork up slowly and carefully take a bite out of my bear meat. I can feel Miss Fink's eyes on me as I take another bite.

"I'll clean it up after dinner for you," she says. I nod slowly and move some tendrils of my long, copper hair away from my face. Stupid ribbons; aren't you supposed to hold back my hair? "Golly, you would think I haven't fed them in a week," Miss Fink murmurs a few minutes later. I look up at her curiously. Her gentle face contains a small frown as she watches each of the girls eat. I should also probably tell you that she is a centaur which, if you don't understand Narnian creatures, is half horse and half human. Her hair is black and long and is always kept up in her signature bun. She has sparkling, wise, grey eyes and a pleasant comforting smile. I smirk at her.

"Well, Miss Fink, they haven't eaten for three whole hours. In their world, that is weeks." She gives me a reproachful glance in reply. I do notice her lips tug up the tiniest bit at the corners though.

"Don't make fun of your sisters," she says as I just sit there with my mouth full of potato, smiling happily at her. She shakes her head at me, wondering I'm sure about where she went wrong, before taking a bite of her meat. I hear a scream come from miss melodramatic – oh, sorry! I mean Serenity – causing me to jump a little before Miss Fink and I look over to her. Her blue eyes are wide as she looks down at her plate of food. I can't help the small laugh – it's more of a snort actually – that comes out of me as I see the white rat sitting happily on her plate, gnawing eagerly down on her vegetables.

"Brigetta! This is not funny! Get Tootels away from me!" she screams at the little, eleven-year-old while Brigetta just sits there and laughs her head off, causing her already messy, light-brown hair to fly around in all directions. The other girls, except for Harrena and Katrina, are also laughing at her. Bri finally decides to end the torture though and grabs her pet rat, which has a cabbage leaf hanging out of its mouth and looks sort of confused. She cradles it gently in her hands as her laughter dies down considerably.

"Girls, enough!" Miss Fink orders us all at once. We all shut up in an instant, knowing that if we continue we will probably be forced to do dish wash duty, which none of us wants to do. I am waiting for a smart remark from Abigail when I suddenly realise that it's too quiet for Abigail to be here. I look at the seat beside me precariously. It's empty. _What a shame, the smart mouth is missing_.

"Where's Abigail?" I ask Miss Fink as I turn to face her. She frowns.

"I'm not too sure." I can see her mouth moving slightly as she counts all the girls to see if any more are missing when the dining room door suddenly slams shut. I twirl around in my seat only to see none other than Abigail running eagerly up to me. _Well it was nice while it lasted_. Abby practically pounces onto the seat next to mine as she looks up at me. Her wavy, brown hair is in one messy entanglement hanging down to her waist while her small hands are clutching onto a small piece of parchment like it's the meaning of life.

"I worked it out! I worked it out! I worked it out! Seriously, Athalia, look!" she squeals excitedly as she shoves the piece of parchment in my face. I take it from her shaky hands before reading it, or trying to read it anyway. All that is on it is a bunch of numbers that have no meaning to me whatsoever.

"Abby, I mean no offence, but what is it?" I ask incredulously as I look at her. She gives me a hopeless look before snatching the parchment out of my left hand again (my right one is still holding the cloth to my head).

"Well, do you remember how we were talking about the new Kings and Queens the other day?" I mentally roll my eyes at the mention of the Kings and Queens. It's not that I don't like the people themselves, I just don't like the fact that they're able to get anything they want whenever they want at the click of their fingers. I suppose you can say that I'm jealous; especially of the High King, who got an entire country handed to him after being here for a total of two months and doesn't even realise what's going on in this so called 'country' because he's too busy learning about the history of it. I huff slightly as I nod my head at Abby.

"Well I decided to try and work out how long they are going to reign for by averaging the usual amount of years royalty tend to reign for before multiplying the outcome by four, since there are two kings and two queens. So I did and I worked out that our new Kings and Queens are going to rule Narnia for eighty years!" she explains to me extremely fast without even taking a breath. Afterwards she has to take quite a few deep breaths. _I look at her with a smirk._

"Yep, sure they are," I reply sarcastically while having a sip of the orange juice that just got put in front of me.

"Athalia, that's not even the best part! The High King needs a wife in the future which means that I can add another twenty years on top of that eighty which means that they're actually going to reign for one-hundred years!" she exclaims hurriedly like it's the most important thing in the world. I shake my head slightly at the easily occupied mind of a nine year old before turning back to her.

"Abigail, you did well trying to work it out, but I don't think they could physically rule for one-hundred years."

"The White Witch did," she says simply with wide, pure-brown eyes. _You mean the White female dog._ _You are talking to a nine year old, don't you dare say that out loud!_ I smile inwardly.

"Yes, but she used dark magic. Our Kings and Queens don't use magic to stop themselves from aging like she did, so, in retrospect, it's impossible for them to rule for that long," I say with a smirk. She sighs and suddenly looks very sad.

"You're right, Alia. I guess I should probably just stick to ancient history and learning about quantum mathematical equations," she agrees as she looks sadly down at the dinner that Miss Fink has just placed in front of her. _I've made her upset. Great._

"I'm sorry, Abby. We do have to be slightly realistic while thinking about these things though. Perhaps you should reconsider your equations." She smiles up at me.

"Okay, Alia, apology accepted. I'm going to start rethinking right now!" she exclaims while jumping up.

"You are not going anywhere until you finish the food on your plate. Now sit down and eat please," Miss Fink interjects. She frowns.

"Okay then."

"Abigail! You should've just seen the prank I pulled on Serenity…" Brigetta starts to say as I tune out the bland conversation.

After dinner, we quickly stack our plates before all of us head into the sitting room for Miss Fink's daily update on each of us (after the centaurs have had their daily graze outside of course). As it turns out, there are some fauns looking to adopt our cute, little, brown eyed, caramel headed, six-year-old Malia and some satyrs looking to adopt our green-eyed, blond haired, fourteen-year-old musical genius Samillara, or Lara; besides that though, nothing else is really happening. Miss Fink sends us all off to bed after that with a smile; of course she lets me stay up for a while longer though, since I am older than the closest child to me by almost three years. I am now sitting on one of the living room chairs in front of the fireplace, enjoying the heat radiating off of it like the sun which I had, up until a few months ago, thought was a myth.

"Miss Fink?" I ask as she nurses the cut on my forehead. I know it had been bleeding more during dinner, but I had no idea how badly until she just started cleaning me up; the water's already beet red from her wiping it five times. She smiles at me, showing me that she's listening. I hesitate for a second. How should I phrase this? "Do you think I still live here for a reason?" The question has been eating at my insides for months now, but I have never really brought up the subject in fear of what the answer may be. I bite the inside of my cheek, waiting for her response, as she thinks over my question for a moment.

"Yes, I do think you are still here for a reason. For one, you have been here since birth and no one has adopted you; that has got to mean something. And another thing, what is the chance of your parents dropping you off here when they left for Calormen? They could've dropped you off anywhere, but no, they put you on my front porch, which, if you have forgotten, is the whole reason I even started the orphanage in the first place. And besides, all the girls in here really look up to you for guidance. There's only so much I can tell them and I think it's good for them to have such a beautiful role-model in the orphanage." I smile at her reply.

"I guess so. I never thought of it that way," I murmur slightly while thinking over her answer. "A role model to the younger orphans though? Miss Fink, I battle creatures every day, how is that a good role model exactly?" She laughs at my obviously bewildered expression.

"It will be fine. I actually meant that you encourage them in their skills and that's a good thing, Alia," she says, obviously reading all of the emotions on my face. I nod and stand up slowly while stretching, my mind still trying to process her genuine response.

"If you're sure," I answer with a grimace. "I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning and thank you for patching up my cut," I say before I kiss her cheek.

"You are very welcome," she replies.

Whilst strolling tiredly down the large corridor that runs the length of the stable, I can't help but think back to our conversation. One thing that I've always been a little confused about is the reason why I became an orphan in the first place. Miss Fink has always told me that it was because my parents couldn't handle the endless winter in Narnia and so they moved to Calormen, but that doesn't really explain why they left me here. Surely they could've taken me to Calormen with them. If they really had loved me then they would've, right? I've always thought there's more to the story than what Miss Fink has told me all these years. As I reach the last door on the corridor, I open it up to reveal our massive bedroom. All of us are housed in the same room. There are twelve beds lined up against the wooden walls, each one made up of comfortable heather. There is one massive window at the end of the room that overlooks the calm and peaceful Glasswater creek which, if you don't know Narnian geography, isn't really a creek at this part of it at all, but a very pretty river. There is also a tiny compartment of clothes in the corner of the room, all grey and pale blue. I trudge into the room slowly before softly closing the door and stripping off my old, beaten-up dress. I throw on my night attire before gently walking down to my bed, which is up against the window at the back of the room. The soft snores of the girls is sign enough that they are all asleep. I jump in eagerly before I pull the sheets up to my chin, the cold sheets slowly warming up to my body temperature. I sigh before closing my eyes and falling into a deep slumber.

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 **Anyway, like I said earlier, updates will be weekly so put an alert on if you enjoyed it.**

 **Thanks everyone for reading!**

 **Until next time,**

 **narnia and beareject fan 1 xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2: Waterfalls and Royalty

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any of the characters associated with it. I just like playing around with C.S. Lewis' masterpiece. ;)**

 **Hey readers, welcome to chapter 2!**

 **Thank you so much to DragonGatz for the follow and fav; I really appreciate it! Also thank you again to lost-in-elysium for reading over all the chapters for me and helping me out!**

 **Now, on with the story!**

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 **Chapter 2: Waterfalls and Royalty**

I wake up the next morning feeling completely revitalised, but boiling hot. The sun is shining into our bedroom, causing the large space to become hot and mucky. I yawn as I sit up and stretch out my legs in front of me. So another day of babysitting the smaller orphans and helping Miss Fink out with the household chores? I grimace before I push the sheets off of me and swing my legs down onto the floor. I can hear the familiar talking and laughing of the other orphans in the main room as I slip out of my night attire and put on my long, grey and blue dress. Once I finish tying the plain, grey bow around my waist, I make my bed quickly. Three light taps on the bedroom door echoes through the room suddenly. I stride over to it and open it slowly only to get attacked by Malia.

"Good morning, Athalia. Miss Fink wanted me to remind you that you're getting Tallulah up this morning." Whoops, I forgot about that! I'm suddenly very thankful for the little six year old who is cuddling up to my leg at the moment.

"Tell Miss Fink I'm getting her up now, okay? And good morning to you too, Mal." I pick her up and give her a quick hug before I put her down again and rush over to the cot in the centre of the room. I grin at her as she notices me leaning over her cot. "Hey Tally," I murmur as the baby satyr reaches up to me from her cot; her bold, blue eyes stare up at me happily. I pick her up gently as she smiles brightly at me. I quickly take off her night clothes and put on her small, grey dress and cloth nappy before I pick her up again. She snuggles into my neck and yawns as I carry her down the corridor. The talking and laughing gets louder and louder as I get closer and closer to the sitting room. Once there, I stand at the doorway briefly and take a look into it.

Most of the younger girls are already wide awake and running around – it's amazing how much more active young children get as soon as it's the weekend – whilst the older girls are sitting around in a corner talking about who knows what. I smile at them all as I pass by the room and head into the light, airy kitchen. Miss Fink is busy preparing breakfast for us all when I enter.

"Good morning, Miss Fink," I greet as I place Tallulah in her dark, wooden, high-chair.

"Good morning to you too, Alia. Did you have a good sleep?" she asks me while handing me Tallulah's bowl of mashed up peaches and pears. I smile at her as I grab it.

"Yes, thank you, I did," I reply as I grab a spoon.

"Good; I am pleased to hear that. How is your cut this morning?" she inquires as I look up at her. Her forehead is etched with faint, frown lines and she has concern written all over her face.

"It's feeling fine. I've barely noticed it all night," I lie smoothly. Truth be told it kept me up for almost half the night due to an awful throbbing where the cut is, but she doesn't need to know that. It is feeling a little better now though. I start to head back over to Tally, who is impatiently bashing her small hands on the tray in front of her.

"That's good. I was worried it would keep you up all night." I roll my eyes subconsciously at her.

"I'm beginning to wonder whether you've forgotten about the fiasco with the Calormene a few weeks ago," I reply as I point up to the faint scar on my left cheek. I hear her sigh at the bad memory.

"I suppose I have. I don't like it when any of you get hurt in any way, you know that." I frown slightly.

"I do know that. I promise you I'm fine though. I'm so used to it! I'm kind of surprised that you're not yet." She nods.

"Hmm, I just worry. I'm allowed too. You're like a daughter to me." I groan frustratedly at Miss Fink. Every time I say something that she's not happy with, she'll use the whole 'you're like a daughter to me' card. It was okay at first, but now she uses it every time. I'm pretty tired of it now, I know she means well, but sometimes it just gets too much! "Okay, if it starts to sting, let me know and I'll try a different remedy," she adds on. I sigh before stopping in front of the high chair.

"Sure." A peaceful silence follows our conversation before I start talking again a few minutes later. "I was thinking of taking some of the younger girls over to the waterfall today. Is that okay?" I ask as I turn away from the baby for a second. She smiles at me sweetly.

"That sounds lovely, Alia. Which ones are you going to take?" I smile back and turn around again to face Tally. I scoop some of her food onto a spoon and presently start to feed her.

"I'll let you know at breakfast," I reply briefly as I grin joyfully at Tally so that she will actually open her mouth to eat.

"Okay then, but make sure it's only few; you won't be able to handle them all by yourself." I smirk as I remember the time I offered to look after all the girls while Miss Fink went to Cair Paravel. It turned into a complete disaster that included quite a few of the girls burning themselves as they tried to unsuccessfully cook some meat.

"Certainly," I reply. I finish feeding Tallulah a few minutes later just as Miss Fink rings the bell for breakfast. I let her out of her high chair before I quickly head into the dining room. I sit down and am instantly handed my bowl of fresh fruit. I eagerly begin shovelling it into my mouth. "Thanks, Miss Fink," I murmur with a mouthful of peach.

"Alia, do try and be a little bit lady like, won't you? When you get married one day your husband will want a prim and proper lady, not a ravenous seagull." I laugh. A ravenous seagull? Where does she come up with these sayings?

"I know that. Also, Mal, Ally, Sunny, would you three like to come with me to the waterfall today?" I ask, once I've swallowed my bite. I turn to look at them. Those girls are the best behaved of our group and I tend to enjoy spending time with them more because they actually listen to me. They all smile ecstatically at me as I finish my food.

"Yes please!" they all squeal in reply. A day out with the three, whiny, little girls. This will be fun!

"Brigetta!" Serenity screeches suddenly, pulling me away from my mind. As I look over to her I'm not surprised in the slightest to see a large, brown spider on top of her long, curly, orange hair. You see, Brigetta takes joy in scaring people – or Serenity anyway. She always pulls pranks at the table. It's like a routine for us all now. It's pretty funny watching Serenity at every meal. She always checks her seat before sitting down and then looks above her to make sure that nothing is about to fall on top of her. She also checks her food thoroughly before taking bites of any of it. The thing with Bri's pranks is that you never know when they're coming, where they'll be when they do come, or even what they are (mind you they tend to be animals and insects). Brigetta is laughing her head off again as the spider slowly makes its way down Serenity's head before sitting on her shoulder. She is shaking with fright before Bri decides to end the torture and take the poor creature away from her.

"A spider? Really, Bri? I thought you'd be a little bit more creative than that. After all, that spider could've made a web on Serenity and you would've had to clean it off of her," Abigail tells us in her 'smart voice' as we all like to call it. I smile. There's the witty remark that I was waiting for last night. Was it everything that I had hoped it would be? Yes, yes it was. A clap pulls me back to earth and I quickly turn my attention over to Miss Fink, briefly noticing all the other girls do the same.

"Girls, as soon as you finish your breakfast and stack your bowl then you may leave the table," she tells us. We all nod at her before the girls all get back to eating. I get up though, having already finished my food, and quickly go to the linen closet to grab some fur towels for all the girls who are coming with me. I then head into the bedroom and grab Serenity's hair brush off her bed, since I can't find mine, before dragging it harshly through the knots in my long, copper hair. Afterwards, I use a spare, blue ribbon that is lying around and messily put it up into a bun; hair is most definitely not my forte. I head back out into the main area and grab a random book from one of the many bookshelves that line the lounge room and sit down casually on the lounge. After reading for around half an hour, the little girls all run up to me excitedly. I smirk at them all and stand up before I put my book away and hand each of them a fur towel. Ally grabs my hand then and eagerly starts tugging on it.

"Hurry up, slow-poke!" she whines as we walk slowly over to the door. Why are you taking the younger girls out again? Oh that's right, because you're silly! I sigh as Aliyah tugs impatiently on my arm. "Let's go," she complains as the other two run over to the door, excitement playing in all of their eyes.

"We're going now, Miss Fink. We'll be back this afternoon," I call out as I open the front door. Her head appears from around the corner before she smiles at us.

"Okay then, have fun and be careful."

"Yes, Miss Fink," we all say in perfect symphony before walking outside. I close the front door quickly before we all run out onto the dirt and leaf covered path.

"Good morning, Athalia!" Keziah greets me as she exits her house, which is another old horse stable that is opposite ours.

"Good morning, Kez. We're going up to the waterfall for the day, would you like to come with us?" I ask her politely as we walk up the dirt path together, constantly moving out of the way of hurried centaurs and other creatures. Our tiny settlement is a bustle today. The Kings and Queens got crowned almost a month ago and apparently are going to be visiting our town for the first time today. Most of the ladies are hanging up welcome signs and tidying up the paths and stalls. I personally don't see what the big deal is. They are just humans. I mean, sure I have respect for them, obviously, they are the Kings and Queens of our country and they did deliver us from an endless winter, but by the way everyone carries on you would think they've never seen a human before when, in reality, they see one every day.

"Sounds good, I was just about to go there anyway. It's so gorgeous out! I couldn't stand being locked inside all day," she explains to me as we turn towards Glasswater. I smirk at her. That is the exact reason why I decided to take the little girls out for the day. I also figured that I'd give Miss Fink a break from looking after them. They may be the best behaved girls, but they can be tiring to look after when they are bored. I know, deep down, that she appreciates the fact that I regularly take them out.

"I agree. I mean why would you want to stay locked inside all day with the sun shining and the birds singing delightedly out here?" I agree readily as we exit our settlement and walk through the bright, airy, forest while following happily along the sparkling, diamond river. Aliyah lets go of my hand and hastily runs up to the other two girls who are chatting excitedly about what they are going to do when they get to the waterfall. I smile at their palpable enthusiasm as we round the final bend. I watch the girl's faces with a smile, knowing that they're about to get extremely excited. I'm right in my guess.

Their faces light up as soon as they spy the bright, cool, aqua pool. They carelessly throw their towels onto the mossy floor and jump in, causing a rain of water to shower down on top of us. I sigh and pick up their belongings with Keziah before we go and sit on one of the dark, old, tree logs together.

I watch my "sisters" closely as they play and splash joyfully in the water along with the other children. Aliyah is still getting used to her transformation though which means that she is struggling a little bit. You see Serenity, Abigail, and Aliyah are all half-mermaids, due to spells that were put over them when they were all just babies. Any time they are fully immersed in any water from the Eastern Ocean, Great River, or Glasswater Creek they get tails until they're fully dried off again. Since Narnia has been under one-hundred years of winter though and all the rivers have been frozen over, they aren't really used to the transformations. All three of them are still trying to get used to their new swimming style and, because of that reason, we all have to keep an extra close eye on them in the water.

"I wonder what the new royals are going to be like. I do hope they're friendly!" Keziah wonders out loud, pulling me back to reality. I try to remember what I have heard about them, but can't come up with anything. Truth is, not many of the Narnian's have really met them yet, which is why they are doing the settlement tours with Grassweed.

"I'm not sure what to expect. Hopefully they're older though and have led a country before, otherwise I think we're in for a few bad years again," I reply with a slight grimace.

"Sorry to tell you, Alia, but apparently they're only young. The oldest is seventeen, I think my father said, and the youngest is eight or something like that." My mouth flies open in shock without my permission. Eight? How can the youngest only be eight?

"Eight? Is Aslan insane or something? How can an eight year old rule a country?" I manage to get out. Something tells me that Aslan has gone a little bit crazy. Imagine an eight year old ruling over all of us. Ha! There's a laugh. But it's not a matter of imagining, an eight year old really is ruling over us. I sit here in amazement for a second or two, staring at the roaring, blue waterfall while trying to process this new news before I look back over to my friend. Keziah shrugs at me, obviously confused herself.

"I don't think she will do so much of the ruling at her age. I think her older brother, The High King, will do most of the ruling." She?

"So the eight year old is a Queen?" I ask.

"Yes, I think her name is Queen Louis or something like that. I've heard she's really quite sweet, but you can't listen to what some creatures have to say. Like I said earlier though, The High King, by the sounds of it, is the main one in charge," she replies with a slight smile. In my mind, I know she is right, but my head still can't wrap around the idea of an eight year old girl commanding around full grown men. She is one of the members of the royal family though; she has the right to do that, right? I nod slightly. Yes, she does have the right to do that.

I stare warily at the guards as they stand at the large entrance to the town. This is definitely not normal. Five minutes we've been standing here now and we've had no indication that's it's alright for us to approach. The two centaurs are looking venomously at me as if I'm about to suddenly run up and attack them. They are kind of starting to make me nervous and both of them hold long, sharp swords and wear thick layers of armour.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that the Kings and Queens are here," Keziah whispers in my ear. How did I not guess that earlier? I'm apparently stupid.

"I think you're right about that. Should we walk forward or do you think they're going to kill us if we try?" I ask. She lets out an obnoxious snort as she laughs at the comment.

"They won't kill us, Alia. The worst they'll do is send us away." I know she's right, but it doesn't mean that I'm not nervous at all.

"Okay. Come with me." We slowly walk forward, the younger girls following closely behind us, before we're all standing in front of the gate. The guards cross the path with their swords instantly.

"No one shall enter," the deep voice of the centaur on the left says. I frown at the bulky guard.

"We live here though. We're all orphans, apart from Kez of course." I watch the guard's eyes as they leave me and focus on my friend. His eyes widen in surprise before he smiles at her.

"Hello, Keziah. I didn't notice you there too. This one looked a little bit suspicious so I was watching her closely," he says as he gestures towards me with his sword. I have to take a quick step back to avoid him accidentally cutting my head off. Mirasdean laughs in response to his comment.

"Don't worry, Harienary. Athalia's friendly. She's the protector of this village." Both of the guards smile at me then before Harienary gestures us forward.

"So sorry to hold you up, ladies. You may enter." I grin in reply and murmur a quiet "thanks" before we run on forward. The town is lit up in a red and orange glow as the sun sets from behind me. It is quiet too as we stroll through it, the paths virtually empty, though I do spy a few creatures who are happily cleaning up the mess from the day that has passed. It's obvious, from the state of it, that some big event has occurred. I say goodbye to Kez as we arrive home before I walk forward and unlock the rusted, old gate to the orphanage. I tug it open and take a few steps inside before jumping out of the way of the little girls as they run squealing into the stable. We have been out almost all day and to say my little sisters are excited about it would be an understatement. In reality, today was meant to wear them out, but it seems to have done the exact opposite. In other words, Miss Fink is going to have a hard time getting them into bed tonight. I grin. She's going to kill me tomorrow.

I skip forward then before freezing on the spot. Two fauns are standing at the front door, both of them staring straight ahead. My eyes trail behind them curiously as a flash of bright colour catches my eye. My mouth gapes open widely. There are three very royal looking figures standing inside the doorway; the Kings and Queens are here. By the Lion's Mane, some warning would've been nice. I'm a little upset with Miss Fink now for not warning me earlier that they were going to be visiting the orphanage. I would've stayed away for longer to avoid having to talk to them. This is not going to help my whole envy issue. There's no point in walking away though. I take a second to take them in while I have the chance.

The first one I notice is a small girl, no taller or older than Sunshine. She must be the eight year old! This young Queen wears a thin, but very pretty, silver crown on her short, shoulder length, blond hair as well as a gorgeous dark violet and gold dress that reaches down to her ankles.

Next I notice another female. She looks to be around thirteen or fourteen years old. A thin, gold crown, not unlike the younger Queens, sits upon her long, dark-brown – almost black – hair. She wears a long, dark orange and red dress that flows in pretty sways effortlessly down to her ankles. A bow and quiver full of arrows hangs over one shoulder.

The last person I notice is a young looking King. My guess is that he is around nine or ten. He also has blond hair and also wears a thick, silver crown. He wears silver chain mail underneath his knee height, dark green and silver tunic. He also has a sword sheathed in a silver casing.

All in all, from what I've seen of them, they are a very royal family. I would be lying if I say that I'm not a tiny bit intimidated by them. I look around precariously for the fourth, but can't seem to spot him. Maybe he's not here…I let out a slight sigh of relief at the thought. After a second, I gather my wits back and walk forward after my sisters. The faun guards look at me suspiciously as I go past them with my eyes downcast.

I look up in time to see my younger sisters run straight past the Kings and Queens, too focused on something else to realise immediately who they are. Sunshine stops mid step a second later and spins around, her hazel eyes wide. She curtseys almost instantaneously. The other two younger girls have stopped too and try to copy Sunshine's smooth curtsey, but they aren't too good at curtseying yet. Aliyah falls flat on her bottom and seems shocked for a moment, before she looks up at me with watery, green eyes. I can't help but laugh a little. She's too adorable for her own good. I gesture for her to get back up before going over and standing next to a very proud-looking Miss Fink. She quickly jumps up, like I had gestured for her to do, before running over to me and tugging on the bottom of my dress. I smile down at her gently and pick her up. She then continues to snuggle into my neck in obvious embarrassment, her cheeks a light shade of pink. I stroke back her bright, orange hair in comfort as I look around the room.

I notice a few other creatures then, standing around. They include two beavers, a faun, a raven, a red dwarf, and a centaur. All of them have their eyes trained on the Monarchs. The main one I notice though is a leopard. He sits in the corner of the room, his tail swishing back and forth, as he stares at me with dark, narrow eyes. I try to keep myself from freaking out too much as he stares but fail miserably. I turn back to the King and Queens then only to realise that the youngest Queen has noticed me. I instantly try and curtsey for her; only it's kind of hard to curtsey when you're holding a child in your left arm, so it's a little wonky. I do the same for the other two as their eyes both reach me before I look around to see if the fourth is here or not.

As I swipe through all of the familiar, grubby faces of my fellow orphans, who are all standing in a straight line, I can't help but think about the implications of this "royal visit". Do they want to close the orphanage down? Maybe they do. What if they kick us out onto the path? What then? We'll probably starve to death! I get pulled out of my worried musing suddenly as my eyes lock with a pair of unfamiliar brown ones. Well, I found the High King.

If I'm being completely honest with myself, I don't see what the hype about the High King is all about. Sure he's okay looking and has some form of muscle, but he isn't anything special. The only special thing about him is the fact that he's human. I do curtsey all the same though, just to show some form of respect. He stands up from his kneeling position on the ground then while Abigail continues to speak with him about something. I get kind of thrown off as he stands though, he's a lot taller than I was expecting. He's probably around six feet. He has dark-brown, short hair and wears a large, golden crown. His tunic is a dark, royal blue with gold trimmings and reaches just below his knees. He also wears fine, silver mail underneath the tunic. He has a brown, leather belt wrapped around his hip too that holds a very long sword. It reaches down the left side of his leg.

I drag my eyes away from him when I hear a piercing scream suddenly come from Serenity, only to start laughing a little as I watch her and Bri. Serenity is pale in the face and still as a statue as a large python starts twisting around her neck and down her right arm. Brigetta's laughing her bottom off, while the rest of us hold back our own chuckles.

"Get. It. Off. Me. Brigetta," she warns through gritted teeth. She's starting to get a little edgy as Brigetta takes the snake away from her. Bummer, I was hoping it would strangle her so that none of us have to put up with her anymore.

"Why? It's just a little snake," Brigetta says before she laughs at Serenity's horrified expression.

"You little…"

"I do believe that you're the only person in here whom I haven't met. Your name is?" The High King – I'm pretty sure it's him – interjects. I'm taken aback by his voice. It's kind of deep, but not overly so. He's also got a peculiar accent; I've never heard anything like it before. Alia, reply to him! Whoops. I clear my throat to get the lump out of it.

"I'm Athalia. I'm the oldest orphan here, Your Majesty," I explain curtly with a curtsey.

"Lovely to meet you, Athalia. I hope you don't get offended by my asking of this question, but how old are you?" he asks with a polite smile. I grimace. So that is why they're here. They want to kick us out! I try to keep myself from having a complete panic attack in front of him. I have two options at a time like this. I can either lie, or tell him the truth. Is lying to a king ever a good thing? I try to think of a time when someone else has ever dared done it. Wasn't there that man that one time…, oh wait, no, he went missing. Oh, what about that woman…no, she got executed. There was that faun though…no, he got fed to sharks. My mind goes into overdrive as I think about when lying to a king has ever been successful but can't quite come up with anything. The truth it is then!

"I'm sixteen, Sire," I murmur as quietly and calmly as I can possibly handle, trying my best to keep the nerves at bay. His eyebrows shoot up in response and he takes another step forward.

"Isn't sixteen a little bit too old for someone to be living in an orphanage?" he inquires with his eyebrows raised. I nod once.

"Probably, but, Your Majesty, I have nowhere else to go. Please don't kick me out!" I plead quickly.

"No need to worry, Athalia. I didn't come here to kick anyone out. I'm merely visiting for a little while. As long as Miss Fink is happy with you staying here, I don't mind," he replies with another polite smile. I sigh with relief before the High King presently begins speaking again. "Now, Abigail, were you going to show my fellow brother and sisters and I around your orphanage?" He turns around as he speaks, silently dismissing me. Abby looks happily at him and smiles brightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Do follow me," Abigail says as she skips off in front of him and eagerly into our small dining room. Everyone follows behind the Kings and Queens as they follow her out, everyone but the leopard anyway.

"Is there something I can do for you?" I question whilst looking at him dead in the eye. He tilts his head to the side as his ears go up. His swishing tail doesn't falter for even a second.

"No, not really. I just don't feel comfortable with you being anywhere near the Kings and Queens with that long sword of yours is all," he says. I look down to my belt and quickly undo the buckle before I hang it up on its stand.

"Better?" He smiles brightly at me.

"Much."

"So I'm okay to go and follow them now?" He doesn't say anything in response, instead he jumps up silently and strides proudly across the room, going out of the door in which everyone else left a second ago. I murmur a quiet "okay," to myself as I follow him out. This is going to be a long night.

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	3. Chapter 3: Mr Hogelsworth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any of the characters associated with it.**

 **Welcome to another new chapter readers! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far. Thankyou so much to lost-in-elysium for editing all of this for me (you honestly were my saviour in it).**

 **Also a massive thank you to everyone who favourited and alerted on the last chapter! Ambidextrous Drummer and yeolshie! I'm really glad you both are liking the story!**

 **Anyway, on with the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Mr. Hogelsworth**

Rain. Oh, how much I despise you! Goodness, will you ever shut your trap! I'm laying length ways along our old, scruffy lounge in the sitting room, bored to high heavens, while watching the small water droplets trickle down the small, dirty windows. The other orphans are all sprawled out around me, but I wouldn't have even known they were there if I hadn't seen them all walk in a few minutes ago; it's far too quiet, there's no talking or laughing going on between any of us. All I can hear is the light dripping of the rain on our roof and the quiet rattle of the silver pan as Miss Fink boils some water for her tea. The weather has been miserable ever since the day the Kings and Queens decided to visit, which was over a week ago. I hear a bored sigh come from my left and look down slowly at Harrena, or Rena. Terae, her identical twin sister, is twirling her long, black hair up into an elegant braid, her green eyes concentrating hard on what she is doing.

"Terae, would you like to do mine next?" I ask lazily as I prop my chin up onto my palm. She doesn't even bother to look up at me as she replies.

"No." I roll my eyes at the twelve year old satyr and sigh as I look over my shoulder.

"Sunshine, do you want to practice plaiting my hair again?" I ask the blond-haired, seven year old.

"Okay," she replies tiredly as she jumps up from her hay pile. I smile at her as she trots over to me briskly. I get up from my position on the seat before sitting down on the hard, wooden flooring so that she can reach my hair. She sits behind me and instantly undoes the ribbon that is holding it into a messy bun. I feel it fall in long waves down my back before I feel her separate it into three sections. It's silent for a few more minutes while Sunny tries unsuccessfully to start the first part of the plait. I can feel the eyes of the other girls burning into my side and back until Katrina's, or Kat's, voice rings out throughout the quiet room.

"Miss Fink, there's an old faun standing on the path outside in the pouring rain. He's been there for almost ten minutes now and, honestly, he's starting to worry me now." An old faun? I move swiftly over to the small window where the thirteen year old centaur is observing and hastily look outside myself. What in Narnia...I can't help but feel a little confused at the picture myself.

The faun looks to be in his late seventies. A scruffy, white beard hangs down his front and his head looks to be half bald. He has spectacles on and is leaning against an ancient looking walking stick; his shoulders are slouched forward due to it. His clothes are tattered and torn too, but still seem to be fairly wearable. He's staring at a piece of parchment in his hands, confused. Lost it seems. There's a knock on the door while we're all looking at him, but my mind barely registers it. There's something about him that seems oddly familiar, even though I'm certain that I've never seen him before in my life. Maybe I've seen him around the town sometimes, but have never really registered the fact that he was there. I shake my head. I'm absolutely certain I've never seen him before. I would've remembered such a character.

"…He's refusing to tell anyone where he's from or what he's doing here. I'm starting to worry about the welfare of my children," Fairselat's voice rings through my reverie. I'm instantly in tune with the conversation – okay, maybe it is considered eavesdropping, but this is important!

"I'm sure it will be fine, Mrs. Hare. The old faun is probably lost, but if you're really that worried I'll get Athalia to go and talk to him. At least she knows how to use a sword if he turns out to be deadly." I smile slightly at Miss Fink's comment and turn around to face them.

"Would you like me too? Because I happily will." I will seriously do anything at the moment if it means that I can get out of here. Fairselat nods.

"Please do, Alia."

"Well, if you insist. I'll be right back, Miss Fink," I reply as I swing on my belt and sword before quietly exiting the orphanage. The rain has died down considerably as I exit which makes me a little bit happier since it means that I'm not already drenched to the bone. I open the gate excitedly before physically jumping out onto the street to avoid stepping into the muddy puddle that has formed directly underneath it. Slowly, I begin to walk towards the old man.

"Um…excuse me…Mr. Faun. Hi, my name's Athalia. I was just wondering what you are doing out here in the rain?" I say calmly as I come to a complete stop a few feet away from him. He looks at me with wise, old, grey eyes before smiling.

"So you're Athalia Gregon." It wasn't a question, more of a statement of fact, but I nod all the same. "Ah, just the lovely lady I was after. Would you mind terribly if I came inside your orphanage? I was going to talk to you out here, but I would be extremely upset if you caught a cold due to my rudeness of talking to you in the middle of a rain storm." I'm momentarily shocked by his politeness, but gather my wits back quick enough to be able to reply. I do notice the rain get a little heavier as he talks about it though, which instantly gets me suspicious.

"Um…sure. You can go first though." I don't exactly feel comfortable with him walking behind me, in case he does turn out to be evil. He might stab me in the back with a dagger if I'm not careful.

"Of course; that is very smart of you, Miss Gregon." He smiles a friendly smile in return before he begins walking towards the gate. I turn around cautiously and start following him. I can hear the slushy sound of his hooves against the muddy, dirt ground as he walks through the gate and holds it open for me. I smile in thanks before I sneak a glance over to the window to see if everyone else is watching. The girls eyes widen as they realise they've been caught staring before they all quickly and smartly move away from the window sill. I grin before I open the front door and slowly walk in. Miss Fink is cautious as we enter. Her eyes watching the old fauns every move like a hawk. She hands me a fluffy towel before reaching behind her and grabbing another one. She hands our guest the other one before straightening up.

"I'm Katerane Fink. How do you do?" she asks warily. The old man smiles at her.

"Mr. Hogelsworth. Very well thank you. And you?" She smiles at him, genuinely this time.

"I'm well. Could I get you something? Tea perhaps?" she offers as she starts walking towards the sitting room. I follow her, knowing that the old man will follow us both in.

"If you're making some tea yourself, I would love some thank you." She nods and gestures for him to have a seat before she scurries away. I sit down at my usual spot as all the orphans gather around me. They are all looking at him curiously.

"Who is he?" Rena inquires in my ear.

"I'm not too sure yet," I answer her swiftly before looking at everyone else. "All of you sit down; he might think about telling us about himself then." They all do as I say and take seats throughout the room. Miss Fink hurries in, holding a wooden tray in front of her, before she places a cup of tea and basket of available fruit in front of the faun. He murmurs a "thank you" as she sits down on her usual hay pile.

The faun sits down on the single couch before he places his walking stick next to him. I take a good look at it as he looks around the room. It's made of a dark wood and is covered in intricate carvings that have all been painted in bright colours. The carvings seem to tell a story, but I can't quite make out what the story is about from the angle I'm looking at it from. It looks antique. I wonder how old it is…

"Like it?" he asks suddenly with his deep voice. I look up at him quickly.

"Yes, it looks very pretty. What are the carvings on it if you don't mind my asking?" He picks it up and holds it towards me.

"Why don't you take a look? Just be careful with it though. It's very old." I smile and gently grab it from his outstretched hand before I sit it sensibly on my lap and study the carvings carefully. They look very delicate. The story seems to start at the top, so I look there first. The first few carvings are of Aslan. At first he's standing on flat land, then the mountains rise up around him and rivers swerve in all directions. Trees grow next as well as flowers and grass. The next few images are of different creatures circling him after rising out of the ground in little humps. It shows two children next, human children I might add, on a flying horse, like a Pegasus. Suddenly the little boy is in some sort of garden, surrounded by trees. He's reaching up to a silver apple and plucks it. The next carving is of him with Aslan again, standing next to a lamp post. I don't need anyone to tell me what the story is, I know instantly.

"It's the creation of Narnia. I could tell you that story backwards with the amount of times I've listened to it and read it." Mr. Hogelsworth smiles at me and nods.

"You're right. And of course you know that is when the great Lord Digory and Lady Polly were here also." I nod.

"That's also the time when King Frank and Queen Helen were around. I wish I could meet them. They must have the most amazing stories to tell," I say. The faun nods in agreement. I touch the delicate work of the stick again before I hand it back to him, not wanting to forget that it's on my lap and risk damaging it.

"They certainly would." I smile at the old man as he takes another look around the place. "This is a lovely orphanage you have here," he murmurs as he takes a sip of his tea.

"Thank you. I have put a lot of effort into it over the years," Miss Fink replies smartly.

"Yes, I can see that," he murmurs distractedly while he looks around the room again. A second later he focuses his attention back on me. "Would you mind if I speak to you in private, Athalia?" I shake my head slowly while my hand sneaks its way down the side of the couch. It comes into contact with my sword a second later and I instantly relax. At least there's something here to fight with if he turns out to be evil. Everyone else gets the idea immediately and leaves quickly. He clears his throat and waits for everyone to depart before starting. "So, I'm not going to beat around the bush, Miss Gregon -" He pauses as I put my hand up. "Yes." I take a deep breath in.

"How do you know my name?" I ask while trying, but not succeeding, to keep the shakiness out of my voice. Stalker. I shake my head to get rid of the offending thought before the deep voice pulls me back to the present.

"I just do, now, on with the important matters. Stand up and walk across the room for me." I raise an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Don't ask me why just do it, please." I grimace and stand up gracefully, or as gracefully as I can manage, before walking over to the door that leads into the dining room and back again. His eyes watch me the entire time. I feel my body start to sweat under the scrutiny. Once I'm back to my seat, I plop back down onto it.

"Dare I ask, but why did you want me to do that?" I ask incredulously as his eyes brighten up considerably. He smiles at me before he looks back down to his tea.

"You have lovely posture and grace my dear. You're definitely the right, Athalia Gregon." I raise an eyebrow. He grins at me and I suddenly realise that I haven't replied to him yet.

"Um…thank you? I will admit though, that is a little bit insulting." He lets out a small chuckle as he sets his tea cup on the wooden table in front of him.

"How so?" His hands clasp together in front of him as he looks curiously at me.

"Well, because I'm a warrior. Posture and grace is what Queens have and, to be honest, Queens are far too girly for my liking." He nods.

"I suppose I know where you're coming from, but is it really that bad to be neat and fancy?" Did he not just listen to me at all?

"Yes, it really is that bad. Pretty girls are annoying. They're too busy courting princes and knights and fixing up their hair to ever be able to step out and have some fun for a while. I mean, seriously, who needs a man to make them happy. I've never been courted, in fact I've never had a boy show interest in me, and never once have I been upset by the fact either. I want to adventure and fight, not get caught up as some house wife for the rest of my life." He smiles at me.

"Well, if that's the case, then you're going to love what I'm about to offer you. You're going to need to trust me for it though." I stare at him precariously. He's going to kill me! My hand automatically reaches down to grasp my sword, just in case.

"How do you expect me to trust you when I don't even know your first name?" I ask slowly and cautiously.

"Point well made, Miss Gregon. You definitely have wits about you. My first name is Martin." I hold back my laugh then with difficulty. Martin? His names Martin? Can it get any more generic?

"Where do you live?"

"I'm from Ettinsmoor."

"Don't giants live in Ettinsmoor?" He chuckles again.

"In some parts, yes, but not in the part where I'm from." He's very curt as he speaks. Could he be descended from royalty?

"Alright then, Mr. Hogelsworth. What is it that you want me to do?" He grins at me as he picks his tea back up again and takes a sip.

"Hidden somewhere in the depths of the castle of Cair Paravel is a map to a lost prophecy. For years and years and years old professors (such as myself) have tried searching for it, but no one has ever been able to find it -"

"The map or the prophecy?"

"The map. As I was saying no one has ever been able to find it -"

"Why don't they just try searching for the prophecy without the map then?"

"Well because that's impossible, no one has any idea where the prophecy is hidden so it could take them years and years to find. But that's not the point. Now where was I, oh yes –"

"Well what's the point then?" I hear him sigh heavily.

"The point is that I had a dream of two young ladies finding this map and prophecy. In my dream I asked someone, I'm not quite sure who or what it was, what the young ladies names were. The thing – I think it was an animal actually, now that I think back to it – replied, 'the only name you need to know is Athalia Gregon'. So I went on a mission to find you and now that I've found you I'm asking you whether you're up for the challenge." My jaw drops to the ground as I suddenly realise what he's asking. An adventure to find a lost prophecy? Yes please!

"What's the catch?" I raise an eyebrow. He smiles and shrugs.

"There is none. I was just told to find you, so I've completed my duty. You're going to have to find this prophecy, but don't worry, I know that Aslan will help you." There's a slight sparkle in his eyes as he tells me this. I can't help but smile back at his laid back attitude and mischievous glint.

"Okay then, I'll do it. We need an effective plan of action if we're going to find that map though," I say immediately as I move a little bit closer to him. He gives me a mischievous smile as he leans in a little bit more himself; it is a secret after all.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"I reckon I should enter the castle at six pm. That's when the guards switch over for the night and the castle is virtually empty as they do it, apart from the dining room. That's also the time when the royals and members of the court eat their dinner, which means less chance of accidentally bumping into someone. I should also enter by the back gate too I think…are you coming with me?" I ask suddenly. He wouldn't want to know my plan if he wasn't planning on coming himself would he?

"I'm going to meet you at particular intervals. I can't tell you where they are though, only that I will be there at times to make sure that you're doing okay. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you while you're searching for the map." I frown, confused.

"How do you know where we're going to be and how are you going to get to those intervals? I thought the whole reason for me going was because no one knew where the map was."

"I have my ways. Oh, and you're going to need this." He hands me a folded sheet of parchment. I look at it curiously before unfolding it. Drawn with black ink on the parchment is a map of the inside of the castle.

"How did you -" I stop mid-sentence as he smiles at me in a very suspicious way. He looks as if he has some big secret that he's just dying to share, but isn't going too. I decide to change my question. "Do I have to go by myself or can someone come with me?" He looks shocked as I ask the question. I instantly regret asking it.

"My Dear, I wouldn't tell you to go on your own. Goodness gracious no! You may take one of your little orphan friends with you." I smile and think over it over quickly. I could take Lara or Rena or Serenity or…

"I'll take Abigail." Wait - what? I'm going to take miss know it all? On an adventure? Am I losing my mind!

"Good choice, but may I ask you why you chose to take her out of all the orphans?" I'm wondering the same thing.

"Because she's extremely smart and I figure that she will be a good companion to have on an adventure like this because it involves brains," I say.

"I can't argue with your logic," he says while pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Well, aren't you going to ask her to come along?" he inquires after a second of silence. I smile brightly.

"Abigail…"

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean surely you don't need to tell the High King about this now. Can't it wait until morning? We could all go together then. We could have a tour of the castle with Sundirt the Leopard while you talk to the High King and then you could join us and we could have a lovely picnic in one of the courtyards and -" Abby and I are standing at the doorway excitedly as Miss Fink worries over us. She thinks I'm on my way to tell the High King about the Ghoul that came into the town a few days ago. Oh how little she knows.

"Yes, I'm sure. We'll be fine, Miss Fink. I promise you, both of us will come back in one piece." She looks hesitantly at me.

"Okay then. Have fun, and do be careful." I smile at her nervous figure and quickly give her a hug.

"We will be careful; I promise," I comfort her as I pull away. I plant a gentle smile on my face for her sake. She smiles back and releases me with a sigh. I quickly say my goodbyes to the other orphans before I follow Abby out the front door. I close it softly as I look out at the setting sun excitedly. We had to plan our raid around the time the castle guards change over, which is at six pm sharp. That's the time dinner starts in the castle, which is when the Kings and Queens are safest because they're all in an enclosed room. Don't get me wrong, there are still guards protecting the castle at this time, but nowhere near as many as usual. Once we're out on the dirt pathway, Abby turns to me. A slight smile sits on her small face as we begin walking down the path together.

"So remind me of the plan again, Alia." I grin as I remember what Mr. Hogelsworth and I had planned this morning.

"Well, we're going to enter by the back gates and then we're going to try and get to the treasure chamber, according to this map. How we're going to get there is beyond me though. Mr. Hogelsworth is also going to meet us at particular places," I explain confidently. Abigail nods her head as her brain processes the plan.

"Sounds good, but, Alia, where is the treasure chamber?" she inquires as she cocks her head to the side in curiosity. I take a look at the map as we arrive at the towns' gates.

"Well according to this map, it's in the Great Hall, to the left side of the dais…this could be an issue," I murmur. This means we have to sneak into the Throne Room. We're going to get into so much trouble if we get caught. I frown slightly, nerves kicking into gear.

"It'll be fine, Athalia. That old faun wouldn't have sent us on the mission if he didn't think we could do it. This is an adventure, remember? It'll be heaps of fun!" she exclaims as we take a few steps out of the gate. I know she's right and I do have to admit that I am excited, but this part of the adventure seems virtually impossible. If we get caught in the Throne Room, what are people going to think? Of course the first thing they'd guess is that we're trying to steal something. I sigh. I doubt we'll get caught, just calm down! I stop mid step, suddenly nervous of the idea. Maybe this isn't such a good idea…I'm just about to explain this to Abby when she begins speaking.

"Do let's get moving, Athalia! We don't want to be too late!" she exclaims as she grabs my hand and quickly begins pulling me along the path. Dead leaves break beneath out feet as we stroll determinedly through the forest which is tinted with the red glow from the setting sun. I calm down my racing heart by listening to the soft thrum of the river. Alright, let's do this! It's deadly quiet as we arrive at the castle a few minutes later. I motion for Abby to follow me before we sneak our way to the back gates. I was right in guessing the time. The guards that are in charge of the back gates are so tired that they're practically asleep. I send a look down to Abigail to tell her that we're good to go before we both sneak our way past the large, stone gates.

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	4. Chapter 4: Cair Paravel

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 **Welcome back to another new chapter! Thanks again for all the love, especially to lost-in-elysium and night. courts. assassin for the favourites and follows! I really appreciate it! Now on with the story!**

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 _I motion for Abby to follow me before we stealthily sneak our way to the back gates. I was right in guessing the time. The guards that are in charge of the back gates are so tired that they're practically asleep. I send a look down to Abigail to tell her that we're good to go before we both sneak our way past the large, stone gates._

 **Chapter 4: Cair Paravel**

The guards, thankfully, don't notice our small figures retreat into the darkness as we sneak past a few small stalls of armour and weapons. It's eerily quiet. I can smell the musky scent of the horse stables as we come to a corner in the stone path. I'm about to round it, but freeze instantaneously before retreating a few steps. There are people talking from around it. I stop Abby from going any further with my hand before I hold a finger up to my lips. She nods, but still looks up at me curiously. I carefully peer around the corner before I see the shape of numerous horse stables and the familiar outline of two fauns talking animatedly. I look back down to the little girl at my side.

"Can you think of a way to move two faun guards?" I ask in a whisper. Her confused expression changes to one of understanding as soon as the words leave my mouth. She furrows her eyebrows in thought while she looks around the area before she begins tugging on the sleeve of my dress and pointing to an empty stall that is next to us. I nod and we both very quietly move over and crouch down behind it. She looks around then before she grabs something. I look down at her questionably. She opens up her hand to reveal a medium sized rock, all the while smirking at me. She then continues to toss it over to a bunch of clay pots that are over on the other side of the path. They rattle with the impact, causing one of the smaller ones to fall and break onto the stone floor. It was definitely a good idea to take Abigail.

"Get ready to dash along the wall," she whispers as she prepares herself. I do what she says and watch on curiously as the two guards run over to investigate the pots. We both scuttle as quietly as we can over to the stables while they're distracted before running in through the open wooden stable gate. Once we're in, we begin promenading through. The candle light dances off the wooden, stable walls as I get surrounded by the unmistakable smell of hay. The royal stables are large and each stall is filled with a horse.

My heart starts racing as I try and stay in the middle of the path, in other words, as far away from the horses as I can possibly get. Ever since I fell off a horse when I was younger and then got my foot stood on by another one, I've hated them. I don't like riding them, I don't like smelling them, and I can't even stand looking at them most of the time. Horses and I just don't mix. Centaurs, on the other hand, are different. I can stand centaurs simply because they have an actual brain. "Can we stay in here for a while?" Abby asks suddenly as she reaches out to pat a large, black horse. I grab her hand and hold it back as soon as my mind registers with what she is about to do. She better not touch that evil creature!

"No, Abby, we need to get out of here right now. We can't afford to waste time," I say as an excuse before I begin pulling her through the rest of the stables harshly. Just ignore the neighing, just ignore the neighing. Eventually we come to the end of the stables, much to my complete and utter joy. I pull out my map, after we duck behind the closed gate, not too sure with where to go now. "Alright, so according to the map, this stable should lead into a corridor which will then take us to the Great Hall. From there we should be able to get into the treasure chamber." Abby nods as I give her the information before we both peek over the gate to make sure that it's safe. The corridor looks empty and it's silent. "Let us go now, Abby, before someone comes." I open the gate quickly to avoid it squeaking before we both run out into the stunning corridor.

Its walls are made of a hard stone that is deep red in colour while its floors are made of a white tile that is cold to my bare feet. I see lots of large, bright tapestries hanging down from the walls too and also a few other decorative pieces, such as suits of armour, lining the corridor itself. There is no doubt in the back of my mind that we are now in the castle itself. The entire place shouts richness. I can't help the feeling of jealousy over the whole situation. He gets all of this handed to him after a month of being here whereas I've lived here all my life and am still stuck in the same place I was sixteen years ago. "Left," I tell Abby a little bit harshly. We tip toe through the corridor before we come to a slight curve in the path. I'm instantly on high alert since I can't see if anyone is coming around it. I stop walking for a second so that I can listen closely. It's still dead silent. I gesture for Abby to keep walking before we come to a proper corner. I peek around it, knowing that that is where the throne room is. There are two, brown-furred centaurs on guard there.

Right on schedule I hear the six pm dinner bell ring, signally, not only the swap over time, but also the time when everyone is going to be in the dining room. A second later the throne room doors fly open. The guards' hold them open for the High King as he strides out with his head held high. I narrow my eyes at him, my jealously from before flowing out of me in intense streams. The rest of his siblings follow closely behind him, taking up his lead, followed by a bunch of other creatures. The guards that are holding the doors open begin to walk away once the last of them has exited. Luckily for us, all of them walk in the opposite direction.

I wait a few minutes longer to make sure that no one else is coming out before walking over to the door quickly. I tug it open the tiniest bit before peering inside. To my absolute shock, the throne room is empty. I guess that it's because of the swap over time and instantly gesture for Abby to come over. I open the door, just enough for us to be able to squeeze through, before we enter. I make sure to close it again, extremely carefully as to not make a sound, before I look at the map again.

"Abby, the door to the treasure chamber should be on the left side of the dais. Hurry, we don't have much time." She nods her head before we both run over to the far left wall. We start randomly pushing different stones in to see if any of them will reveal a hidden chamber or something before I stop. A large stone that is built outwards lies across a section of the wall. I curiously go up to it. I try pushing it in, testing it. Nothing. I then try pulling it out to see if anything changes. Nothing again.

"Maybe we should push it from the side, Alia," Abby suggests as she moves over to the left side of the stone. She pushes it with all her might. I see it move the tiniest bit before I feel my face light up.

"You've got it, Abby. Here let me help." We both shove against the left side of it and smile brightly as it moves out of the way to reveal a wooden door. "We need a key!" I whisper in despair. I watch as Abby looks around the room before she smiles up at the dais.

"That armour figure behind the High Kings chair is holding a key. Do you think that could be it?" I look over to where she is pointing. Sure enough, a silver suit of armour is holding a bronze key on its finger.

"Good spotting, Abby!" She smiles brightly at me.

"Should I go and get it?" she asks. I nod at her. She runs over to the suit of armour before plucking the key off of it easily. Once she gets back to me, she hands it over to me. I push it into the keyhole with ease before twisting it. The door unlocks with a loud clunk. I swing it open only to reveal a stone staircase heading downwards; small candles line the walls, illuminating a tiny bit of light. "I'll put the key back in its place. I'll be right back." I smile at her, telling her silently that it's fine. She runs up the stairs and plops it back onto the knights finger before she returns a second later.

"Well we can't stand here all day. Let's go," I say as I look down at her and gesture her forward. She looks up at me, her eyes wide with fear; I can see that she's also starting to sweat. "What's wrong?" I ask her apprehensively. Maybe she's sick?

"I can't go down there, Athalia. Look at how dark and small the staircase is." Oh, of course! Up until now, I had forgotten that Abby is not only scared of the dark, but also of tight spaces, which makes this small staircase extremely scary for her. I smile in comfort before kneeling down so that I'm eye level with her.

"You can do it, Abby. Just hold my hand and you'll be fine. It's not like you're going down there by yourself. I promise I'll be behind you the whole time." She looks over her shoulder at the staircase then before turning her attention back to me.

"Promise?"

"I promise." She nods at me before a small flutter of a smirk begins to appear.

"Okay, let's go!" I give her a small hug then before standing up and holding my hand out to her. She clutches it quickly in her small, sweaty one. She takes a few steps forward while pulling me along with her. I try to keep as close behind her as humanly possible. Once we're both fully in, I let go of her hand for a second so that I can slide across the stone wall and close the wooden door, hoping that it looks untouched from the outside. I grab hold of Abby's hand again before we start walking down the staircase. I stay directly behind her as we slowly make our way down. Her laboured breathing echoes loudly throughout the small space. "Count the stairs as we go down, Abby." I hear her breathing stop for a minute before she looks back at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Why?" she asks, her voice a little shaky. I grin at her.

"Because it will keep your mind occupied on something other than the darkness and tight space." She smiles in reply.

"Okay then. We've walked down three so far so let's continue." She takes another few steps down as she counts, "Four, five, six…" We reach the bottom after counting sixteen steps before Abby suddenly stops and turns to look at me. A huge smile is planted on her face. I can't help but smile back just as brightly. "Athalia, I did it!" she exclaims as she hugs me around my waist.

"Yes, you did! I'm so proud of you!" I reply as I hug her back. She pulls away after a second, her hand refusing to let go of mine. "What do you say we look around now?" I suggest.

"Good idea," she answers. I smile at her before my eyes go up. My jaw drops to the floor as I look at the treasure chamber for the first time. The wealth surrounding us is something that I could have never even imagined; let alone imagined seeing. Diamonds, rubies, carbuncles, emeralds, garnets, topazes, amethysts, necklaces, arm rings, finger rings, golden goblets, bowls, dishes, long tusks of ivory, brooches, coronets, chains of gold, and layer upon layer of unset stones lie piled up anyhow as if they were just potatoes or apples. Along each side of the pathway are silver suits of armour that look like they're guarding the treasures that lay beyond them. There are also some large, oak chests, underneath the various shelves, that are strengthened with iron bars and heavily padlocked. I can't believe the monarchy have all of this and yet we're still forced to live like cockroaches. I pick up a golden plate and throw it roughly at the opposite wall. It shatters and breaks into several smaller pieces. I let out a deep breath and look down to Abby, who's looking up at me with shock written all over her face.

"Why did you just do that?" she asks as her eyes leave me and look at the broken plate again. I look there too, only my gaze is full of venom.

"Do you want to know why, Abby? Do you want to know why I'm so furious? Do you want to know why I threw the plate against the wall? Do you want to know why I'm really not keen on talking to the monarchy ever again? Do you want to know why I'm so angry right now?" I shout at her, fury pouring off of me in large spouts. She gives me a tiny nod. "Well, let me explain. I hate the monarchy. There, I said it! I. Hate. The. Monarchy. In fact, I can't describe in words how angry I am of them, because they have got all of this," I gesture to the rest of the room for emphasis just as Abby takes a small step back, "and yet seventy five percent of Narnia is forced to live like cockroaches scurrying for food. They could help us, but they don't. Instead they sit on their fancy thrones and command us all around. Do you understand now my frustration?"

"Yes, I do understand," she says, her tone emotionless. She leaves it there, not wanting to push me any further, before she walks over to have a look at some of the gems. I sit down in the meantime, wanting to calm myself down before we go any further with this mission. I close my eyes, thinking of the rivers and gentle mountains to try and help me relax. When I open my eyes again, Mr. Hogelsworth is there. He smiles reassuringly at me as he slowly walks up to me.

"Did you hear any of that?" I ask, worried beyond belief. He nods once.

"I did, but I don't blame you for it. It's okay to feel envious of people sometimes." I sigh.

"Thanks for the reassurance," I say as Abby comes to my side. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you; that was wrong of me." The frown she's wearing turns into a slight smile as she hugs me.

"That's okay." I hug her back, just as Mr. Hogelsworth clears his throat.

"Now that all of that is out of the way with, you lovely ladies took your precious time getting down here, didn't you?" he asks with a grin as he comes to a stop again a few feet away from us. I smirk.

"Sorry. We were trying to be careful. How long have you been down here?" I inquire curiously, purposely trying to avoid the question of how he managed to get down here without being seen. I know for a fact that he won't give me a straight answer if I ask, so I don't really see the point of asking it.

"Not long, only a few minutes (maybe half an hour) but that is not important right now. Have you still got that map I gave you?" I nod.

"Yes, it's right here." I hand it to him while I take a deep breath in, still trying to calm down, and watch on as he unfolds the piece of parchment. He studies it ponderously for a few seconds before passing it back to me. I take it back and fold it up again, before tucking it back into the small, brown, torn up satchel I have.

"Apparently there's another part of that map hidden somewhere in here. You are going to have to find it if you want to know where the prophecy map is." I look down to Abby as he says this, noting that she's already looking up to me for guidance. She looks a little concerned, but mostly she's happy with me again.

"Come on, Abby. We need to find the other half." She smiles brightly at me before we split off and begin tearing through the piles of treasure. I feel a little bit like a treasure hunter as I bury my hand in masses of gold and gems. The echoing sound of clanging stones is the only thing that can be heard in the small space. After a little while my hand comes into contact with something that feels like parchment. I grab hold of it and pull it out. "I found it!" I say as I notice a map on it. Abby runs over to where I'm standing before she undoes my satchel and pulls out the original map. My forehead creases with confusion.

"It's the same map. Shouldn't it be another part of the castle?" Abby questions as she turns to look at Mr. Hogelsworth. He shrugs his shoulders.

"Are you sure it's exactly the same and that it's not different in some way?" he questions her back. I look down at the new map, trying to figure out if there's something new on it. Nope, it's definitely the same!

"It's the same, Mr. Hogelsworth. No doubt about it." He turns to me with a smirk.

"Are you absolutely positive?" His eyes twinkle with an untold secret; I instantly start second guessing myself. I look back down to it. I don't know why I do it, but I flip the map over. On the back is a sentence, written in old Narnian dialect:

 _'Aon keital emanef ide jelna e sor e soner fer e soral e soneral, ide yerinats fer joerd patine, fer ide ha blomera deoons haks.'_

"Oh. I didn't notice that before. Abby, come over here. Help me decipher this." I hear the little patter of her feet as she comes to a halt next to me again. I sit down on the ground slowly before I hand her the map. She sits down too as she carefully looks over every word. I have to admit, even though I tease Abigail constantly about how much she studies old Narnian language and culture, I am pretty thankful for all her studying right now. It takes her less than ten minutes to decipher the whole sentence.

"'The one thing that makes a boy a king and a girl a queen, that glitters and shines constantly, and that is always being used'. It's a riddle, Athalia. I wonder if that's where the map is hidden." I think about the sentence for a moment. That makes a boy a king and a girl a queen? That glitters and shines constantly? That is always being used?

"A throne perhaps?" I guess. It makes sense in my head considering how close we are to the throne room and also about how glittery and shiny the thrones are. Plus, the Kings and Queens are always on their thrones, so that must mean something.

"Or a crown," Abby speculates. My mind freezes then before I nod my head in agreement to her. I guess that would make sense, it could be a crown too.

"We could have a look at the thrones first and then, if it's not there, we could try and figure out a way to look at the crowns," I suggest as we both stand up. "What do you think, Mr. Hogelsworth?" He looks at me with a hopeful expression.

"You girls are definitely smarter than I first originally thought. Do you even realise how long people have tried decoding that map for now? That's the main reason why no one has found it yet, no one has ever been able to decipher that message, and then this little nine year old comes in and does it in less than ten minutes. I believe you are going to have a good chance at finding this prophecy with your brains," he says, his voice full of hope. I smile at him before I look down to Abby.

"Let's check the thrones," she says eagerly. I nod in agreement before we head back to the entry again. I stop though, suddenly remembering the old professor. I spin around and open my mouth to speak before I realise that he's gone.

"Mr. Hogelsworth?" I call out experimentally. Nothing. I furrow my brows before I turn back to Abby. "Let's go." We walk up the stairs again, doing the same thing that we did on the way down to keep Abby's mind preoccupied, before we stop at the wooden door. I reach out in front of Abby and quietly open it. I wonder how long we took down there? We listen through the stone wall to see if there are any voices coming from the other side. It's silent. We go to slide open the stone but instead it begins moving itself. My breath catches in my throat as we're suddenly revealed to the world. A satyr is standing in front of us; in fact it's Marille, one of the castle guards.

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	5. Chapter 5: Crown Map

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia, just my characters!**

 **Welcome back readers to another magnificent chapter! Thank you once again to lost-in-elysium for the review on the last chapter! It was greatly appreciated!**

 **Not much to say this time, so enjoy the story!**

* * *

 _We go to slide open the stone but instead it begins moving itself. My breath catches in my throat as we're suddenly revealed to the world. A satyr is standing in front of us; in fact it's Marille, one of the castle guards._

 **Chapter 5: Crown Map**

He doesn't look surprised to see us here, which, I must admit, makes me a little bit nervous. What if they've known we were in there all along? We are in so much trouble!

"Hello, Marille. It is nice to see you again, but if you don't mind we must be on our way," I say as I grab Abby's hand and try to push past him.

"Athalia, you had better stop, unless you want me to just grab you and drag you to the dungeon without even listening to what you have to say first." I stop immediately. Surprisingly the dungeon does not sound very appealing to me. I look down to Abby with a grimace before we back up again. "So tell me, what were you doing down there?" I swallow with nerves. Just tell him the truth! Better to do that than to lie and get busted for stories not matching up.

"We were just looking for something." He narrows his eyes at me. It doesn't pass my attention that his hand is moving down to his sword hilt as I speak.

"What were you looking for?"

"A map."

"Nice story, Athalia. Now, tell me the truth. What were you looking for?" I let out a breath that I didn't even realise I was holding as his words sink in. We're doomed!

"I'm telling the truth, Marille! I wouldn't lie to those in authority over me."

"Well if you aren't going to tell me the truth then I guess I'm just going to have to check your bag. Open your satchel please." I grimace, but do what he says. I pull it open and show him the inside. Nothing is in there apart from the castle map. He gestures for me to hand the bag over to him. Just do it. I sigh and pull the map out quickly as I pass it over. He frowns angrily at me. "What's on the parchment?"

"I already told you that it's a map. I wasn't lying."

"Pass it over." I hesitate.

"No," I say, my voice radiating with confidence. I can see him getting frustrated. Why am I pushing it? Aren't I better off just giving it to him?

"Athalia, I don't want to toss you into the dungeon, so I'm asking you to please hand it over to me for inspection." I give in and with a shaking hand pass it over to him. He opens it before his eyes begin skimming over the parchment. I feel a lump form in my throat as he folds it up and tosses it back into my satchel which he then continues to pass onto another guard. "Make sure you keep the satchel in a safe place where no one will be able to get to it or find it." The faun nods in understanding before the sound of his hooves walking away along the tile floor rings out. Marille turns his attention immediately back to us.

"Athalia, come with me please. Take your little orphan friend along too." I grimace and nod. Abby's hand is in mine immediately. I can feel her body quiver as we start following him out of the throne room and into the corridor. For a second I think we're going to head towards the main entrance, but instead we go in the opposite direction. My stomach ties into a knot as we walk past the horse stables and down into a dark, gloomy staircase.

I grip Abby's hand a little bit tighter in response to her sudden jerky squeeze from the dark, tight space. I can hear that her breathing is laboured also as we reach the bottom of the staircase. We stop for a moment as Marille opens a wooden door before we continue. The corridor we are now walking down is freezing cold. The walls are made of a dark stone as well as the floor. There are a lot of doors in the walls too. Some wall candles light up the space just enough for us to be able to see each other. There are no windows. I take a look down at Abby just as the sound of people and creatures groaning from behind the doors begin. All the blood from her face has drained and she looks awfully sick.

"Do you feel okay?" She shakes her head at me slowly whilst her hands hold onto her stomach.

"I'm frightened –"

"Excuse me, no talking back there," Marille commands, his hand sitting on his sword hilt. I hear the footsteps of a guard or two behind us suddenly, but am a little bit too worried to turn around and have a look at them. Finally we stop in front of a small, wooden door. Marille steps back and lets another guard open it before he gestures us forward. I take a step in first, hesitantly. The room smells of rotten fish and vegetables. My stomach churns. I spy two hay mattresses in the corner of the room as well as some small, black ants walking in and out of a tiny hole in the floor. A small window sits inside the cold, stone wall letting in a little bit of air. As I step into the middle of the room with Abby behind me, I can't help but feel a little bit disappointed that we weren't able to find the map to the prophecy. The door closes then, making me jump a little. I spin around and immediately run up to it.

"Marille! Please let us out! We weren't stealing anything, I promise! Marille, please! Please! Please! Let us out!"

"You were caught red-handed coming out of the treasure chamber carrying a map of the castle and you expect me to believe that you were only looking for a map and not stealing anything?" he summarises through the door. I nod, even though he can't actually see me.

"Think about it, if we were going to steal anything then wouldn't my satchel be full of gem stones and gold by now? I promise you, we weren't stealing anything we were just looking for the map." He's silent for a moment, contemplating my words.

"We'll see what the High King says about it when you speak to him tomorrow, but for now, be quiet, eat the food that you've been provided, and go to sleep. We can't have you disturbing the other prisoners now can we?" With that, he leaves us. I frown and stand up before ambling over to a crying Abby.

"It'll be fine, Abby. We'll get out of this." She looks up at me with watery eyes.

"This is all that silly, old fauns fault! If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be stuck in a dungeon cell for the night," she cries as she cuddles up to me. I can't help but feel angry at the so called professor myself though. Did he expect us to get captured? Is that why he sent us here? Of course it is! It's so obvious!

"Abby, crying and complaining about him is not going to change our current predicament. Let's just work out a plan." She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand as she nods.

"Okay. What are we going to do?" I smile at her softly as I lower myself to the dirty ground. I take a seat next to her and gently put my left arm around her shoulders in comfort.

"Well, we are going to wait it out and hope that the High King is in a good mood tomorrow." A soft sob escapes her again, obviously from fear, as she listens to me. I have to admit, I do feel bad about this whole situation; I kind of wish that Abby hadn't come with me at all now. It's not fair to get her into trouble just because I agreed to do something crazy. I'm so idiotic! I sigh in exasperation, willing myself to calm down, but not really succeeding.

"Alia, I think the food has gone bad. Look at the cockroaches and ants eating it." I glance over briefly and sure enough the "food" is covered with insects. I look repulsively at it.

"Great, just great," I say sarcastically to myself. I feel like throwing something again. I look at the stale piece of bread and pick it up, insect ridden and all, before throwing it harshly at the wall. It barely even crumbles. Well that just shows how long that's been there for. I feel Abby cuddle into my side then as I close my eyes and try to will myself to sleep, hoping that it might make the time go by faster. Aslan's face immediately appears in the darkness. It's gentle and reassuring and my heart is instantly filled with hope again. Maybe, just maybe, we will be able to get out of this. I'm taken out of my daydream by the sound of feet scraping against the stone floor. I look up and jump a little bit. "Mr. Hogelsworth, you sure have brilliant timing," I say with just a touch of sarcasm. He smirks at me as he comes over to us and crouches down.

"I know, Alia, and I also see that you're in a little bit of a predicament. Would you like a hand?" Abby and I are both instantly alert.

"Please, Sir. Can you help us get out of here?" Abby questions as she eagerly stands up. He smiles at her.

"I can, or at least in a sense anyway. Do you see that bluish stone over there?" he questions us. We both look over to where he is pointing expectantly. I grimace.

"No. All I can see is normal brown stones."

"Sure, when you're sitting over here that is all you can see, but what if you get up really close to it?" I study him hard for a moment, just to make sure that he's not fooling around with us. All I can see though is complete validity.

"Alright then; I'll go and check it," I murmur whilst I stand up and go over to the far wall and begin checking the stones. That's when I notice the blue stone buried behind another one. I can't help but smile a bit. That old man can be strange at times, really strange, but is always bizarrely right.

"Did you find it, Athalia?" I turn around to face Abby. Her brown eyes are staring at the stones, trying to spot it.

"Yes, it's over here; behind this one." She runs over to me and looks down; her eyes grow wide as she stares at the blue stone. "So now that we've found it, what do we do with it, Mr. Hogelsworth?" I gaze over to him. I see his mouth open, about to reply to my question, just as a loud scraping noise rings throughout the cell. My forehead creases in confusion and I turn to look at Abby only to see that she is now holding the stone. A small tunnel, that seems to lead into an endless pit of nothing, has also appeared in the very corner of the room. I turn to look at Mr. Hogelsworth again with a gaping mouth. "Alright, tell me now! How did you know that was there?" He smiles mischievously at me.

"I just do. Now, onto more important things. That underpass leads to a room that is underneath the King's throne. In there should be another clue. Good luck." He vanishes right in front of my eyes as I turn to Abby.

"It seemed like the obvious thing to do. I'm sorry!" she tells me with an apologetic gaze. I smile at her.

"Abby, you didn't do anything wrong. You used your brain, something that I should've done as soon as we came in here. Good work, I'm really proud of everything you've done tonight," I tell her honestly. She runs over to me and gives me a huge hug.

"Thank you." I hug her back for a second before I pull away.

"Now, I think it would be better if you waited in here for me while I go down and grab the clue. I'll bring it back here so that you can work out what it says and then we'll work out what to do from there. Does that sound okay?" She nods at me.

"Yes, that sounds very good." I grin and go to the corner of the room before I duck down and squeeze myself into the tunnel. Once I'm fully in I hear the door close and, suddenly, I'm surrounded by darkness. I take a deep breath in and begin crawling through the small tunnel, using my hands to feel along the walls to make sure that I'm not about to head-butt the rock. As I crawl through, I encounter strange and unfamiliar smells and spider webs, lots of spider webs. I pull another one out of my hair just as the tightness of the tunnel finishes. I tumble out of it rather clumsily, hitting my head against the ground in the process.

"Ouch!" I start as I rub my now sore head and get up. I shake it a little bit before I take a look around the room, if I can even call it a room. It looks more like some sort of royal hideout than anything else. The hideout looks to be carved into the mountainside, since it's made completely out of rock. There are a few candles lining the walls, illuminating more than enough light into the large space. The ground is covered in a bright green moss, with the occasional patch of four leafed clovers. There are a few comfy looking chairs sitting around the place as well as a stone desk that is absolutely flooded with paperwork and parchments. A green rug lies underneath the desk too along with a chest. I walk over to the chest curiously.

It seems to be made out of a fine wood and looks to be hardy and strong. It's covered in little intricate carvings; things like fauns, centaurs, and dragons dance along the fine detailed woodwork. It's got a heavy padlock on it and has a rounded lid. I immediately guess that the next clue is in there. I search around, looking for any possible indication of the place where the key is hidden only to come up short. I sigh in annoyance before I begin searching everywhere. I check under the rug, on the desk, in the cupboards on the desk, between and underneath the couches and their cushions, the bookcases, and I even went as far as to look behind the chest itself. Giving up, I walk over to the painting that is hanging on the wall, the only thing I haven't looked at yet. The painting is of the Kings and Queens on their coronation day and is quite large. Having read a lot of books about things being hidden behind pictures, I check behind it. I can't help the smile that lights up on my face when I find a hidden section in the wall. The gap houses not only the key, but a small note. I bite the inside of my cheek, debating whether I should read it or not. I make a split decision and grab both the key and the note. I decide to read the note first, since I'm holding it anyway. So once I've got it in my hand, I open it up.

'Hirt afid pae e kenora horer pinitelem ras kerillo fer tamihed semef jafos aon gieral mo aon mienalop.'

I smile brightly as I realise that it's the clue. Finally! I cheer a little bit in my head as I fix the painting again and stash the note into my pocket. I go to head back to the exit when the chest catches my eye again. I look back down to the key again, remembering just now that it's still sitting in my hand. I wonder if anyone would mind if I…no. I'm already in enough trouble as it is; I don't need to add something else onto it...but then it could contain lots of riches. I hesitate for a second. Do I really want to do this? Yes! No! Yes! No! I groan due to the confliction in my head. Just a peek. No one will know…No! It's wrong! I resist the temptation to sneak a peek and instead place the key back into the hidey-hole. I sigh at the difficulty of the situation before I quickly leave again.

Once I'm back to the top of the tunnel, I knock on it. Thankfully Abby hears and swiftly opens the hole again. I crawl out of the opening and very quickly reach into my pocket and pull the clue out in victory. Abby smiles and grabs it before she sits down in the corner to work it out. In the meantime, I sit down on my "bed" and think over the day. Apart from the fact of getting caught and getting thrown into prison, I will say that it was a pretty good day. We, two little orphan girls, managed to sneak into the castle and get into the treasure chamber. As soon as I'm Queen, the first thing I'm going to change is the security in this place! I freeze at the completely spontaneous thought. Where did that come from? I have got to stop my imagination from running wild.

"Alia, I got it!" Abby pulls me from my thought train, thankfully, as she skips happily over to me; well, I use the word skip very lightly, in reality it was more of a two-step leap than anything else since the cell is so small.

"Good job! So what does it say?" I ask enthusiastically. She clears her throat before she reads it out in a very clear and proper voice.

"'On top of a place where decisions are made and emotions reign lays the key to the prophecy.' It doesn't really make much sense though. Where do emotions reign?" she inquires as she tilts her head to the side like a curious puppy.

"I'm not too sure, Abby. I would say the heart, but that doesn't make much sense. Well either way, we have the whole night to think it over. We'll have it worked out by tomorrow." She smiles at me.

"You are right. Alia, what are we going to tell the High King tomorrow?" I don't even have to think about the question, the answer comes out automatically.

"Well the truth of course. He seems to get along with you and since he's still new on the throne, he probably won't realise that the penalty for stealing is either a life in prison or death. So if we tell the truth, we're less likely to get into trouble."

"But the guard today seemed to think you were lying when you were really telling the truth."

"Yes, but that's a guard who we don't know very well. I think the High King knows both of us well enough to know that we wouldn't come here without a reason." She frowns.

"But they all think we came here to steal stuff when we really didn't." I'm about to reply when the cell door suddenly swings open. Abby quickly stuffs the clue into her pocket as Marille waltzes in.

"The High King would like to speak with you both now." I furrow my brows.

"You told us that we weren't going to meet with him until tomorrow though." The guard looks at me with a sinister glare.

"I told him that you two are here and the reason why you are here and he instantly wanted to speak with the both of you, so follow me please." I nod and grab Abby's hand before we start following him back out through the long, gloomy corridor. Marille leads us past the stables before he stops at the throne room. He leaves us for a second then before he returns with my satchel. "You're going to have to show him that and the map as well." I grimace with understanding as he casually strolls in with us in tow. "Your Majesty, the little thieves are here, and I reckon that a lifetime in prison will be a perfect punishment for their crime, perhaps I should even keep these maps safe so that no one else will be able to find them ever again," he says with a bow.

"Thank you, Marille. You are dismissed. Ladies, do come in please." I feel my stomach start to build with nerves as we walk forwards, but, at the same time, my jealousy from before starts coming back in rivers. How I wish I could just get rid of him so that I can take his riches. What? Where did that come from? I'm not going to kill the High King over something stupid like jealousy. Abby and I stop once we're standing at the bottom of the stairs. We automatically both curtsey for him at once. The King is the only one in the room, besides a few guards, which makes the experience all the more nerve wracking and annoying. I want to be one of those guards! I watch the King as he hesitates for a second. His mouth opening and closing like a fish as he tries to form the right words. After a few minutes, he finally starts talking. "Marille has reason to believe that you two were stealing things out of our royal treasury. As much as I wish that it isn't, is this true?" I shake my head harshly.

"No, Your Majesty, of course not! We would never do such a thing! We were only looking for a map."

"Ah, yes. He did mention something about a map as well. May I please see it?" I nod and, with a very shaky hand, produce the map from my satchel. I pass it over to a guard who then passes it onto him. He studies it for a second. I can hear his steady breathing from where I'm standing and can't help the feeling of complete fright, but at the same time pride, as he finishes up. He hands it back to the guard who then continues to pass it back to me. I instantly tuck it back into my satchel. "So you claim that you weren't planning on stealing anything, why were you in the treasure chamber then?" My throat goes dry and words fail to come out as I realise that there really is no hope left. Well we can at least try and navigate our way through this conversation.

"That's something that I will only feel right discussing in private, Your Majesty." He nods once at me.

"If that's your only request and if it pleases you." He gives one simple look to the guards, who are standing beside the thrones, before they start stalking towards us. Abby and I are both harshly grabbed then and patted down to make sure that we're free of any weapons before all the guards leave us alone. As soon as the sound of the door closing rings out, the King's speaking.

"Do tell me your story, Athalia." He leans back into his throne expectantly. I hold back a deadly glare as I swallow nervously and take a deep breath in.

"Your Majesty, we're searching for a map that will lead us to an ancient lost prophecy that is hidden somewhere in Narnia. The map that we had told us that there was a clue in the treasure chamber, so we went down there to have a look to see if we could find it. We did end up finding it, but then the guards caught us coming out. I promise you, we weren't trying to steal anything. Please believe us!" His gaze doesn't falter for even a second as he stares at us. His chin is resting on his hand and I can tell that he's in deep thought about my explanation. After a few minutes of more prolonged silence, he finally moves. He sits up straight in his throne and sighs.

"Miss Gregon, you claim that you didn't steal anything and weren't going to, yet if something sits deep in our treasure chamber, then wouldn't it be stealing if you took it without permission since, technically, it does belong to the castle?" Before I even have time to process what he has said, Abby lets go of my hand and takes a step forward. She holds her head up high and smiles innocently at him. I'm momentarily shocked. Abby is usually very shy and doesn't like talking to anyone whom she doesn't know well, so for her to step forward so confidently like that is completely out of character for her. The shock I'm feeling, though, just multiplies by ten as she begins speaking to him.

"Your Highness, do you really think that taking a clue is stealing? After all, it's not like it's an expensive gem or anything, it's only a piece of parchment with writing on it that is meant to be found, which brings me to another point. It was hidden down there, not just sitting on top of a pile of gems, you would only know it was there if you had the correct map and knew exactly what the quest was and, besides, I don't think Aslan would send us on a mission to steal from a castle that he designed and created now; do you?" I get the absolute pleasure of seeing the young Kings eyes go wide in shock for a moment before he collects himself again. He clears his throat.

"Aslan sent you to find the prophecy?" I'm about to yell out a loud 'no', but Abby beats me to it.

"Yes, he did." What is she doing? Why is she lying to the King? Well, Mr. Hogelsworth did say that a large animal told him to find us. How do we know it isn't a mission from Aslan? I suppose she does have a point…

"How can I be so sure that you're not lying?"

"Because I can prove it. If I show you where another clue is placed, due to what it said on the clue that we found in the treasure chamber, will you believe me?" He thinks over her preposition for a minute before he nods a few times.

"Okay, show me where the other clue is, Abigail, and I will believe you and hold a trial for the two of you on Saturday. If you don't though, then you're going to spend the next year in my dungeon. Does that sound fair?" She smirks.

"Yes, that does sound fair."

"Good, show me where the other clue is then." My heart begins to beat as fast as a hummingbird as she gestures for me to hand over my satchel. I look at it doubtfully, but hand it over to her either way. She pulls out the clue that I found earlier and unfolds it before she reads over it again. I can't even remember her putting the clue in my satchel, let alone working it out.

"We agreed that it was the crown, didn't we?" she whispers to me.

"I don't know! I didn't even realise that you had worked it out."

"I worked it out in my head while you were speaking with the High King. 'On top of a place where decisions are made and emotions reign, lies the key to the prophecy;' it's talking about your head and it also goes with the other clue that we found earlier today." Oh, that does make sense. Your brain makes up decisions and it can be the cause of emotions sometimes too, for example, jealousy; that probably should've been obvious. I'm suddenly aware of the fact that the King is staring at us with a smile that seems to say, 'I know you're lying to me so stop trying to cover it up.' How I wish I could just wipe that smile off of his smug face.

"Well go and show him," I encourage before I add, "and please don't get us thrown into prison." She smiles at me before she happily skips towards the King.

"May I please check your crown, Your Majesty?" He lets out one loud laugh as she asks him, making me think that he doesn't really like that idea.

"Nice try, Abigail." Abby doesn't let go of her certainty for even a moment though.

"If you're not comfortable with me checking it, then why don't you check it, High King?" He raises his eyebrows at her.

"Why don't I check it? You're fairly confident about this aren't you, little one?" I can hear a hint of playfulness in his tone as he smirks at her.

"Yes, I am. I don't necessarily want to be thrown into prison for a year on an accusation that I stole something when I really didn't." I can see him think it over, before he sighs dejectedly.

"Okay then, well let's hope you're right because, honestly, I'm not too keen on throwing two orphans into a prison over a silly thing like stealing a piece of parchment, because, essentially, that's what it is." He smiles nicely at her before he slips his crown off of his head. He flips it upside down before his eyes scan over the inside of it. His eyebrows furrow and he grimaces. "How have I never seen that before?" he murmurs quietly to himself as he runs his finger along the inside of the crown. "It seems I owe you both an apology," he adds on, louder this time, as he looks up at us from the crown. I smile brightly at an already beaming Abby.

"May I please have a look, Your Highness, so that I can see if I can get it out?"

"Um, yes, sure." He passes the crown gingerly over to her. As soon as it's in her possession, I run forward and read the inside. Engraved into the gold of the crown, running along the inside of it, is a phrase:

 _'Aon wiernaml ha aon kenora mo deo, jave aon meyaret bolin temai ol, hir kiet neoma fer qeina diae ha aon gonaille sinie, hak paima feopel.'_

Abby touches it curiously. "It feels funny, Alia. Not like how an engraving should feel." I furrow my brows and look closely at it.

"It does look a little crooked. Try taking it off." She nods at me and quickly turns around and begins to walk away, causing the King to jump up. Abby smiles at him and casually takes a seat on the first step. I chuckle a little bit, immediately earning myself a glare from the King. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing some more. I may not be able to stand him, but when he reacts so harshly over a crown, I can't help but laugh. It's absurd. I glance back down to Abby just in time to see her tear something off. My eyes grow wide as do the Kings.

"What are you doing?!" he bellows. She doesn't stop though, in fact, she does just the opposite; she rips the thing clean off the crown. She then stands and strides over to the now fuming King.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. It wasn't part of your crown; it's the map and clue we were looking for. It didn't damage any of the gold or anything. Everything is still intact." She holds the crown up for him to see while he reaches out for it. He latches onto the edge of the crown and delicately takes it away from her. The frown lines never leave his face as he searches the inside of it. He checks it at least three times for any marks. After a while though, despite himself, he smiles. I breathe out a sigh of relief as he places it back onto his head and looks down at us.

"Well, it seems like you two are off the hook for now. I'll have a guard escort you off the premises immediately. Please don't let this happen again. Sneaking into the castle is a crime in itself, but I will thank you this time since you've just proved to me that I need some extra security for the castle. May I ask how you got in?" I smile in spite of myself.

"Through the horse stables." I can see him get upset by the news, but he covers it up pretty well.

"Thank you for that. I shall update my security around that area. As a law though, I am going to have to ask the two of you to come into the castle on Saturday for a trial. Breaking into the castle is, obviously, very much against the law. So I will see the both of you then at one thirty pm." He smiles at Abby and gives me a soft smile. Sure, now he's nice to us! I turn away without a second glance, my jealousy coming back as he mentions the castle, just as I hear him shout out, "Oreius!" I hear the hooves of the centaur before I see him. When he does appear though, I start to feel a little anxious. He doesn't look too friendly; in fact, he's glaring directly at me.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asks, making sure that he gets as close to me as possible so that he can stride past me in a way that screams 'I'm superior to you'. I will be the first to admit that I do roll my eyes at him a little bit as the King starts commanding him around like a little puppy. It seems he's not that much better than me after all. The large centaur turns to me, once he's got his instructions, before he strides proudly over to the door. "Follow me." He leaves immediately making Abby and I run quickly after him. Oreius leads us out the stables and down the back of the castle before he opens the gates and exits through them. It's raining again as we speed down the faint forest path until we reach the village.

Once there, he nods once, without a smile, and then leaves. All right, I really don't like that guard! I hold back my annoyance at him as we enter the village, soaking wet I may add, and walk down the silent street. Once we get to the orphanage, Miss Fink is immediately fussing over us. She asks us how it went and hands us both towels so that we can dry off before rushing us both off to bed, claiming that it was a big day and that we both need the rest. I nod at her and quickly scamper over to our bedroom where I then collapse onto my bed and have dreams about mean guards and spoilt kings.

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	6. Chapter 6: The Trial

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia, only my characters.**

 **Hey readers, welcome back to a new chapter! I hope you've all had a lovely week!**

 **Thank you again, lost-in-elysium, for the review, I really appreciate it!**

 **Now on with the story!**

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 **Chapter 6: The Trial**

"Alright, that is it! I can't take it anymore! I'm at a loss. I do not want to say it, Abigail, but we're done! I can't figure out this riddle; it's driving me insane!" I throw the infuriating map down in frustration onto the bedroom floor and fall back onto my bed, landing with a soft bounce. I let out a loud, short huff as I feel the bed dip with Abby's weight. What was that old geezer thinking when he sent us on this mission to find this imprudent prophecy? It's driving me crazy! We have spent a full five hours just sitting here, reading the map clue over and over and over again. The words are even starting to annoy me now.

 _'Aon wiernaml ha aon kenora mo deo, jave aon meyaret bolin temai ol, hir kiet neoma fer qeina diae ha aon gonaille sinie, hak paima feopel.'_

Which Abby translates into:

'The waterfall is the place to be, near the mountains come with me, in little caves and rock beds is the first clue, use your heads.'

It doesn't help our thought processes either knowing that tomorrow afternoon we're going to be standing in front of the court with no more than a map of the castle and of Narnia to prove our innocence. We are definitely doomed!

"Alia, maybe we're missing something. 'The waterfall is the place to be, near the mountains come with me, in little caves and rock beds is the first clue, use your heads.' How many waterfalls are near mountains in Narnia?"

"Thirty-two," I answer automatically, my eyes closed in irritation. I have already counted them a million times over. I barely have to think about the answer anymore. I hear her sigh softly and listen to her as she scribbles my answer down onto something.

"Where are they?"

"The Great River, Caldron Pool, Stormness head, Western Woods, Ettinsmoor – "

"So everywhere?" I smile at her evident impatience.

"Yes, everywhere." I sit up cross legged on my bed as she begins speaking again.

"Okay, let us move onto rock beds – "

"Abigail, all waterfalls have rock beds. How else would a waterfall work?" Her face contorts as this processes through her brain before she grimaces and carefully looks down to the map again. I just outsmarted the smart girl for a second there. Oh, happy day! I reign in a small giggle. Abby's face brightens considerably then as she asks,

"What about little caves? I can't think of any places where there are little caves in Narnia."

"Well, the Western Woods has caves and…and…hmm." Did we just work it out? I nod in my head. Yes, yes we did. "Abby, it's the Western Woods! The large waterfall at Caldron Pool is the only place where there are little caves in the mountain face." She's radiant as I tell her this and within a nanosecond she's plotting out our route and planning a time for us to leave tomorrow; if we're even going to be let out of the castle alive tomorrow that is.

"What are we going to tell Miss Fink though? Surely she is not going to just let us leave unless we have a good reason. And what about the trial? What are we going to tell her? She's going to kill us!" She does have a point. What are we going to say? My brain goes into overdrive whilst thinking of a…creative excuse – okay, I'm trying to work out a lie to tell her. I come up with one eventually just as I hear a knock on our bedroom door. I look down at Abby as she quickly grabs the map before stuffing it under my bed. I wait until she's sitting down again before calling out, "Who is it?"

"It's me. Mr. Hogelsworth is here and would like to speak with you and Abigail," Miss Fink informs us as she opens the door a little bit to peek in. Abby and I both jump up.

"Sure, we'll be out in two seconds." She smiles at us.

"Okay, but don't take too long! It seems urgent." Once the door is closed again, Abby stuffs the map into her pocket. I look down at her, rather nervously, before we casually exit our room hand in hand. We stroll into the sitting room expecting him to be in there, instead though he's standing by the front door.

"Good morning, Ladies. Would you mind coming for a bit of a stroll with me? I need to have a little chat with you both about something."

"Okay, sure. We'll be back soon, Miss Fink." Miss Fink looks warily between us.

"Alright then. Just be careful and stay safe." We nod at her, before we both follow Mr. Hogelsworth out the front door.

"So what is it that you want to talk to us about?" I ask as we enter the bustling town. Mr. Hogelsworth looks from side to side.

"We can't talk here. There are too many other creatures that could overhear our conversation. Follow me; I know the perfect place to be able to chat." Abby and I smile at him as we follow him out of the town and down a small, forest path.

It's midday at the moment, the hottest part of the day. The sun is directly above us, letting down an endless stream of heat and light. There are no clouds in the sky; just a sea of endless blue. At the bottom of the path that we've been walking down is a small beach that, somehow, I never knew about. I look around at the deserted piece of land. Besides the young mermaids that are playing in the ocean and a couple of seagulls, we're the only living things here. It's a very pretty area. The white, sandy bank is surrounded by rock walls and the water is calm apart from a few, soft waves that joyfully tumble in every few minutes led by whirls of white wash. There are also some various sized boulders dotted along the sand that are perfect for sitting on. Each one has a tree close to it, or right above it, giving each rock its own spot of shade. We follow Mr. Hogelsworth over to one of the larger, grey stones and all sit down. "So let's get down to business. You found the map, didn't you?" I nod.

"Yes, we did. In fact, Abby has it here right now." His eyebrows rise a little bit in surprise.

"Really? May I see it, Abigail?"

"You certainly may," she says as she reaches into her pocket and pulls it out. She hands it over to him with a fancy twist of her wrist. Once it's in his hands, he opens it. He scans the page for a moment before he passes it back to her.

"Well done, girls! I knew you two would be able to do it! By the looks of it, you have also worked out the location of the prophecy which is excellent! Now, because this adventure has suddenly turned far too simple for you both, I've just discovered something else about the prophecy." My insides melt at the tone of his voice. Oh no…

"What is it?" I ask worriedly. He grimaces.

"Someone else is after this prophecy and if they find it before you two then we're looking at a complete disaster." My eyes widen in surprise.

"What do you mean by 'a complete disaster'?"

"If this other person finds the prophecy first, then we're looking at the end of Narnia – in general terms."

"WHAT?" Abby and I both scream at the same time.

"The end of Narnia? How?" Abby asks in a panic.

"Well the person who is going after this, too, is from the Western Woods. As you know the Western Wood houses all of Narnia's deadliest creatures, so if this prophecy gets taken there, then they'll have the power to take over Narnia." I'm confused by his words. How can they take over Narnia by means of a piece of parchment with writing on it? Unless…

"Mr. Hogelsworth, you said that with it they'll have the power to take over Narnia, but, for one, the Kings and Queens would never let that happen and two, it's just a piece of parchment with ink on it. How are they going to take over Narnia with that?" I question him, extremely confused with the direction this conversation has taken. He clears his throat as he looks at me.

"Well for one it's got to do with the prophecy itself, but the main reason is that it's magical. That prophecy, if put in the wrong hands, has the power to cause destruction beyond all belief. Hmm, now let me see here. What's a good example? Oh… yes, I've got the perfect example. Have you ever heard of the world of Charn?" I nod, remembering the story very clearly.

"Yes. Wasn't Charn the White Witches original world, until the Lord Digory and Lady Polly accidentally took her out of that world and into this one by mistake?" He smiles.

"You're very knowledgeable when it comes to this kind of history aren't you, Athalia? And yes, you are correct. Do you remember the story on how that world ended though?"

"It was because Jadis muttered something called 'The Deplorable Word'. Didn't that completely destroy everything in her world?" Abby answers confidently with a wicked grin. Martin chuckles at her a little bit under his breath.

"Yes, Abigail. You are right about that. This prophecy is a little bit like that only, instead of a word, it's a full sentence and if put in the wrong hands, like I said, it has the power to take over the whole of Narnia. It'll be like having the White Witch ruling again, only worse." My skin crawls immediately at the idea. That would be awful!

"If the prophecy is that dangerous though, then why are you sending us to find it?" I inquire. He grins mischievously as his eyes twinkle with an un-told secret again.

"That's where the magic of the prophecy comes in. The prophecy changes depending on who's holding it. In the hands of anyone who follows Aslan, the prophecy will do nothing but good for the country, but for someone who would rather follow other gods, like Tash, then the prophecy changes to a deadly one, designed to kill everything and everyone in its path. That's why you two lovely ladies so desperately need to get to it. We can't have this other creature finding it first. In fact, we'd better get you both moving and stop wasting time." Suddenly this mission seems a lot more important. It's no longer about the adventure; it's about trying to save Narnia from itself.

"How much time do you think we have?"

"I would estimate it at about two months, maybe three if you're lucky. Apparently to get to the prophecy you need to overcome a lot of obstacles and problem solving. That's why you two girls will be great for the job." I can't help but smile at the encouragement.

"Thank you, Mr. Hogelsworth. There is one more thing that we haven't told you though…" I trail off.

"Really? And I suppose it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you are both to go on trial with the High King and his court tomorrow, would it?" I look at Abigail with a grimace. She sighs and looks up to the nutty Professor.

"I guess we both should have guessed that you would find out about that sooner or later," she whispers upset.

"Yes, I found out almost immediately. This will make the whole trying-to-find-the-prophecy-in-time a little bit harder, but I have a feeling that telling the court the truth will be the best way to go." My mouth falls open. Is he serious?

"But, but…isn't this supposed to be secret? Don't you have any other options, Mr Hogelsworth?" I interrupt dejectedly.

"No, you don't have any other options. You might find that by telling the court about the prophecy you might earn yourself some serious help from someone of a very high position." I can't help but roll my eyes at him.

"How will someone in the court help us exactly?"

"Well the prophecy does have to do with the safety and well-being of Narnia and its citizens, so I'm just assuming that someone will help you if it's in the nation's best interest." Unfortunately for us, it's difficult to argue with his logic. I just nod and put a slight smile on my face.

"Okay, I suppose it would be the best way to go. Right, Abby?" She grins at me in agreement.

"Yes. It will be nice to get some help from someone in the castle," she says happily as if this whole situation is just an everyday conversation. And this is why I should've taken someone other than Abigail.

"Good. You girls will be fine. I have an awful lot of confidence in your abilities. The trial will go fine too, as long as you stick to the truth and nothing but the truth." He smirks at us with gleaming eyes.

"Thanks, Mr. Hogelsworth. Are we going now though? Because we still have to talk to Miss Fink and plan exactly what we're going to tell her and we don't have much time," Abby pipes in. I nod my head in agreement.

"Yes, we really should be going now," I say as I look at her. I turn back to Mr. Hogelsworth as he begins talking again.

"Are you girls okay heading back to the orphanage by yourselves? Or would you like me to accompany you?" I smile.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think we're good."

"Certainly and good luck tomorrow. I'll be there, too, in case you girls get into too much trouble, but I have a feeling you'll be just fine," he says. We bid our farewells and good lucks then before we run as fast as we can back to the orphanage. Once there, we go straight to Abby's small, plain bedroom where we sit down and plan what we're going to tell Miss Fink. After quite a while of thinking, writing, and, dare I say it, arguing, we're finally ready. I take a deep breath in as we walk confidently out of the bedroom.

"Are you sure she is going to believe this? Because I honestly don't think she will." I look down at Abby with a small frown. After three hours of planning she still doubts me? Well that just shows how much faith she has in me! I glower at the little, nine year old for a second before I collect myself.

"She will. This plan is foolproof. She'll believe anything I tell her as long as it sounds plausible. Now shh, we've got to act natural." Abby nods as I lead her casually into the noisy, dining room. I clear my throat. All of the orphan's eyes are immediately on me. "Miss Fink, may I please speak to you in private?" She looks confused for a moment, but gets up and follows me out anyway. The whisperings of the other girls begin almost instantaneously.

"What's going on?"

"Since when do Athalia and Abigail spend time together?"

"How come she can't just speak to Miss Fink in here?" I ignore all the questions as we quickly exit the room. Once we're in the sitting room, I take my usual seat.

"What is going on, Athalia?" she inquires as she looks from Abby to me a few times. I smile innocently.

"Abby and I just got a messenger bird fly in from the castle of Anvard in Archenland. The bright, little thing told us that King Lune needs to speak to us at once about something urgent. Apparently we have to leave tomorrow, that way we can be there as quick as possible. Will you grant us the permission we need to leave?" I ask. I can see her reeling in every word like it's the most important thing in the world before she looks at me pessimistically.

"Why didn't I hear the bird come to the front door?" I smile. Abby and I had planned for every situation to ensure that there were no gaps for when she asked questions like this.

"It was flying in from Anvard, Miss Fink. It saw me through our bedroom window and came and knocked on it so it wouldn't bother the rest of the girls. I must say it scared me half to death though. I almost dropped my tea," I say confidently with just the right amount of innocence. She narrows her eyes at me.

"Really? Well that leads me to my next question; how does King Lune know who you girls are?" She raises her eyebrows, obviously expecting us to give in and tell her that we are lying through our teeth. I look her dead in the eye.

"The High King told him about us apparently and King Lune seemingly thinks that we are the two girls he needs for this task or whatever it is that he wants us to do."

"How do you plan on getting there?" She smirks, obviously thinking that she's finally caught us out.

"We're going by horse." Miss Fink snorts.

"Alia, you hate horses! I can't imagine you riding all the way to Anvard on one." I bite the inside of my cheek.

"I'm just going to have to put up with it since it's too far to walk." She sighs then, usually a sign that she is giving in, before she looks at me for a moment. She smiles then, I smile back happily.

"Alright then, you have my permission to go. I'll cook you some meals for your trip there while you two go and organise a sack with the things you need to take. Ensure that you have a few spare sets of clothing and undergarments, a hairbrush, and some ribbons to tie your hair back with." I smile brightly at her before I bound in for a huge hug.

"Thank you! This is going to be amazing! I'm so glad we're not going to be letting down King Lune!" She smiles in reply.

"I'm glad too. Just promise me that you'll be careful. I know how dangerous those mountain ranges can be. Make sure that you have your sword with you, Alia." I roll my eyes at her. Since when do I ever leave my sword at home?

"I promise, Miss Fink. We'll be careful." She nods slowly.

"Okay, now run along. I'll have your food ready in a few hours."

 **The Next Day**

Today's the day; the day we have to stand in front of the court and claim that we're innocent by means of two maps and clues. In other words, we're doomed! We're standing at the front door with our sacks tossed over our shoulders. Miss Fink is fussing over us like we're never coming back again. Who knows, we might never come back again. "Stay safe. Be careful. Don't talk to anyone you don't know. Make sure – " I cut her off.

"Miss Fink! Relax, we're going to be fine." She nods her head quickly as tears flow down her face.

"I know that, but you're both just so grown up now and I'm just so sad and scared about you leaving us." I smile in comfort.

"We're going to be fine! I promise." I give her a huge hug goodbye before hugging all of the other orphans goodbye too. You never know when any of them are going to go. We could get home and find that everyone's been adopted and that we've got a whole new family. It wouldn't be the first time I can tell you that. We walk out the door then as Miss Fink and all the other orphans blubber in the doorway. I look down to Abby with a smile. This is the moment we've been waiting for. The moment our adventure begins!

"We're going to be in prison for the rest of our lives aren't we?" Abby asks me nervously as we make our way into the throne room an hour later, following Oreius in cautiously.

"No, the High King would never imprison us for life," I say sarcastically, knowing full well that he'd probably do it just to annoy me some more; it doesn't help that my emotions are on a high right now. This is the day that I've been dreading. I barely got a wink of sleep last night due to my over active imagination. There are so many things that could go wrong that it makes me, well, frankly, terrified! We could get killed today; that thought alone makes me almost have another emotional breakdown. Why did we ever trust the old faun? What were we thinking?

Oreius leads us over to a set of small, wooden chairs then and gestures for us to sit down. I see the professor sitting next to the two seats, which, admittedly, makes me a little bit calmer, but also kind of angry. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't even be in this situation! I hold back my resentment towards the old man though, since he has come here to support us today. We take a seat as he smiles at Abby and I, though the smile doesn't reach his eyes. Is it possible that he's nervous for us too maybe? Or maybe he's just scared that I might kill him by the way I'm looking at him. I don't speak to him as I look around cautiously, checking to make sure that there are no killers behind me and am thankful to see that it's just a little, orange-haired child who looks scared out of his brains.

"So what are you on trial for?" I ask him curiously. He looks up at me with frightful, green eyes.

"I took an apple from a fruit stand. I didn't realise that you had to pay for the fruit and the authorities caught me."

"Oh I see," I reply anxiously as I turn back around. If he only stole an apple and is in here on trial, then we are most definitely doomed! I look around and vaguely notice that each set of seats seems to be set in groups of the crime you committed. There are wooden boards scattered around in each section with the name of the crime. For example, the area which Abby and I are seated in seem to be just innocent folk. A child here and an elderly woman there, nothing too dangerous; we're most likely in the thieving area, or, in our case, the breaking into the castle area. I notice the "accidental" murder section next. I use the term "accidental" very lightly though since the creatures that are the murderers don't look like the kind who do things by accident. All of them have large muscles and dark eyes. You can tell, just by looking at them, that they're not to be rivalled with. Yes, there is definitely nothing accidental about the things that those men did. There's also a profanity section for creatures that used inappropriate language in public. That section seems to be made up of mostly older children and young adults.

The large, glass windows that line two of the walls let in huge amounts of light and I suppose you could say that it makes the whole place feel a little bit less daunting. It doesn't take away my nerves though and I feel myself starting to shake from the tense atmosphere. All you can feel in the room is anxiety. I look up at the thrones hesitantly to see who we're going to be speaking in front of.

I spot the High King first, sitting on his throne straight and proud. I hold in the urge to roll my eyes at him or, better yet, throw something at him and look curiously over to the throne on his right. The Just King is also present. His scruffy, blond hair wears his silver crown as he slouches lazily down in his throne, his feet thrown carelessly to the side as he tries to get something out from between his teeth. I chuckle a little at the contrast between him and his brother. He obviously couldn't care less how he gets perceived, unlike the High King who always has to be an example of sorts. I watch as his older brother says something to him in which he dramatically sighs before sitting up straight and fixing his crown. He then says something to his older brother which makes both of them burst out laughing; how anyone can be laughing at a time like this though I'm not too sure. They both stop though as they look towards the back of the room before standing. A hasty faun runs up to the thrones then before blowing a little, but extremely loud, trumpet. He clears his throat effortlessly afterwards before saying,

"All rise for their Royal Majesties." We all rise and watch as the two Queens come down the aisle. They're both wearing long, flowing dresses and their hair is put up fancily into buns. They come to the end of the aisle and both curtsey for the High King before turning back around and sitting down. We all follow their lead. The Kings stay standing though, much to my surprise, before they look at us all with solemn expressions. The Just King speaks first, his light voice ringing out through the open room.

"Neither my brother nor I are pleased to be standing here in front of you all today. Each and every one of you that were sentenced to trial sits here because you've committed heinous crimes against Aslan, the Kingdom, and yourselves. Whether it's something as small as stealing a cookie from a cookie jar or as large as killing someone in cold blood, you are all to be punished for your crimes. You will all be sentenced to something today unless you are proven innocent. So I hope you're all ready to explain yourselves, because crime is not lightly looked upon in this Kingdom." And with those not-so-comforting words, they both sit down.

"So now that we all understand how this works, can we please have the first defendant front and centre," the High King commands in a tone that is not to be challenged. I look into the aisle and am highly surprised to see that the first person is someone from the "accidental" murder section. He's a faun with long, midnight-black hair and dark, tanned skin. The King's murmur between each other for a second before the Just King nods once and looks down at some paperwork that is on a small table next to him. The High King turns his attention to the murderer after a few seconds with an unreadable expression on his face before speaking.

"Yarrilenack. It says here that you are on trial for murdering your wife and three children in cold blood. We have evidence of a bloodied dagger that we found next to your bed as well as a bloodied note written by your late wife to you that states because you are constantly out drinking and coming home late she wants a divorce. Considering the fact that it was late at night, there was no evidence of anyone breaking in, and that you're the only one who actually has the key to your shack, you're easily proven guilty. I really don't want to sit here arguing with you – again – over your late night drinking habits and abuse, and now murder, like the last five times so please just admit that you did it so that we can get this over and done with." The faun bows his head once and I can tell by the way he bows it that he's regretful.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm over these games too. I take full responsibility for my actions. I did kill them. I had had a little bit too much to drink and my youngest son set me off; the note from my wife didn't help me either. I waited till they were all asleep before killing them all. It wasn't until I woke up in the morning covered in my wife's blood that I realised what I had done." His voice cracks at the end and I can tell that he's crying over the whole affair, but I'm not about to start feeling sorry for him. I sit there shocked instead. How can someone, anyone, just stand there and admit that they killed their whole family? I start to feel a little bit woozy in the stomach as I watch the whole scene unfold.

"I'm sure you're well aware that the judgement for murder is death." Yarrilenack nods once in recognition.

"I am well aware of that," he replies.

"My royal brother and I shall discuss this with the Queens. We will return presently." I sigh as I watch the Kings stand before helping their sisters up and walking out into a small side room.

"They're not killing people today are they, Athalia?" Abby inquires quietly once the door is closed.

"I'm not sure," I lie smoothly a few seconds later. I don't want to worry her by telling her that they are; the last thing she needs on her mind is the idea that we might have our heads walloped off.

"Oh," is all she replies before we're all told to stand again. The Kings and Queens re-enter before they all sit down on their thrones. The oldest Queen looks at the faun then with a grave expression.

"Have you got anything you'd like to say first before we give you your sentence?" she asks with a grimace.

"I just want to apologise for all my behaviour and to the people that I've hurt in the process. I deserve to die."

"In that case, by Royal Decree, I sentence you to death. Executioner!" the Just King yells. A moment later a tall centaur walks in. He grabs the faun by the shoulders before pulling him out a door. I look up at their Majesties faces curiously only to see them all looking out towards the front door gravely. The Youngest Queen looks about ready to cry. I can't really blame her for that though; she's only eight. I could imagine that it's pretty difficult for her to watch all these trials unfold, especially since she has to have a say in each case.

"So they are executing people today? Oh, Alia, I don't want to die!" I shake my head at Abby.

"We're not going to die." Even though I wish for the words to be true, I can't be too certain. We didn't murder anyone, but I imagine that in the Kings and Queens eyes what we did is almost as bad as killing someone.

"You'll be fine, Athalia. You've got a good case," the Professor whispers to me, obviously reading my face. I nod at his words before we watch more trials unfold. Three creatures are sent to the dungeons for life, ten creatures are sent to the chopping block, and five creatures are sent to the dungeons for a few weeks. As the hall empties out more and more, I get more and more nervous. Is there a reason they're keeping us till last? Is our crime really that extreme that we have to wait till the end? What if –

"Athalia Gregon and Abigail Hussenock, could you please step up to the thrones." I grip Abby's hand tightly in mine as we stand and walk slowly and cautiously up to the bottom step. We let go of each other's hand so that we can curtsey before tightly gripping hands again. The Just King speaks up first, making me freak out. Usually the younger king is the one who gives out the death sentences. My other hand automatically goes up to my throat. I don't want to die yet! He glances down at the papers one more time as his eyebrows furrow together before he looks at us with a harsh, but also kind of praising, expression.

"Okay, so you lovely ladies are guilty of breaking into the castle, sneaking into the treasure chamber where you managed to find a map of the castle, stealing the map, and manipulating your way out of a conversation with the High King, my brother. I must say, as absolutely illegal as this is, I commend you for actually managing to sneak your way into, not only the castle, but the treasure chamber and then also facing up to my brother here. I mean that's crazy! How did you even do it?"

"Oh, do tell us! It sounds super exciting!"

"Edmund, Lucy, stop complimenting them! It's a crime! Please just get on with it," the High King begs. His brother, King Edmund I think the High King said, laughs once before putting back on his solemn act.

"Alright, girls, tell us your side of the story please so that the jury can make up their decision," he commands as he looks at the papers one last time. I take a deep, shaky breath in. Knowing full well that my body could be headless in less than fifteen minutes is extremely nerve wracking.

"Your Majesties, we, um," I pause suddenly, lost for words, and look helplessly over to Mr. Hogelsworth. He gives me a not-so-encouraging thumbs up as I face the Kings and Queens again. I plan the words in my head for a moment before speaking again. "We're looking for a lost prophecy that is linked to Narnia's fate. The main clue to that prophecy was lying in the High King's crown, as we so politely demonstrated on Thursday, so to get the clue we had to break into the castle, find all the clues, and somehow check inside his crown. Please! Don't kill us! We're just trying to save the country from evil," I plead as I clasp my hands together tightly. Abby does the same next to me as the young King studies us both for a while.

"Really? That's all you have to say? Aren't you two actually even going to try and back yourselves up?" So the Just King likes a person with back bone? Hmm…

"Your Majesties, may I please say something?" Abby asks confidently. How she always manages to have this much confidence in front of the Royals though I will never know.

"Certainly, Abigail. What have you got to say?" the High King asks after his brother shoots him a worried look.

"I just want to say that we will respect any decision you make, but as we're still at the very beginning of our Prophecy mission, we can't just hang around in a dungeon for the rest of our lives. So please consider that idea as you decide out fate, since if we don't get to this prophecy first, then someone else is going to find it and Narnia will be overrun with savage beasts," she says

"We will certainly take that into consideration, Miss Hussenock. I need to discuss this with my sister, brothers, and the jury now though, so if you would please excuse us for a few minutes," the oldest Queen says as she gestures for her siblings to follow her out into a side room. The High King nods to her as they all stand before walking out of the room with the jury. I start to shake nervously and I feel Abby grasp my hand in her small one tightly.

"Was what I said okay?" I whisper into her ear worriedly. Even one wrong word could see us in prison for the rest of our lives, or worse, could see that our heads are stored on pikes. I gulp, naturally.

"I thought what you said was great. It got straight to the point instead of beating around the bush, which I'm sure the King appreciates. Was what I said okay or was it out of line?" I smile at her honourably.

"I don't think it was out of line. You were just being truthful; they can't blame you for that." She smiles back shakily. The door to the side room swings open unexpectedly then, making everyone bow, or curtsey in our case, for the Royal family. They walk solemnly up to their thrones before they all take a seat. The High King speaks up this time and I sigh with relief. This probably means that we're not going to die, which is a major bonus on our side.

"Well, Ladies, we have come to a conclusion. Whether we like it or not, you broke into Cair Paravel, which is most definitely stated as a crime in our society and, yes, it may be for the good of the Kingdom, but for committing a crime like that, you both must be punished. But we also have taken what Abby said into consideration. Since you girls are on such an imperative mission, we decided that a life time in the dungeon or killing you is not an option. So for that reason, and that reason alone, we sentence you both to thirty days in the dungeon. Case closed." He says something else as well, but my hearing leaves me as soon as the previous words leave his mouth. We're going to the dungeon? For thirty days?! Honestly, I can't complain with that. I was expecting much, much worse! In fact, I'm just waiting for him to start laughing and tell us that it's all a joke and that we're really getting executed, but that time never comes. Instead we find ourselves being grabbed on each arm by four large, burly centaur guards. They walk us down a few flights of steps and through a few different corridors before we find ourselves in the same cell that we were in last time, only this time, there are creatures in each of the other cells too. As they lock us in here, there's only one thing I can really say.

"Well we've still got our heads, so yay for us!"

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 **I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to drop me a review whether good or bad, I love to get feedback on my stories! And also don't forget to alert and favourite this story if you're enjoying it!**

 **See you all next week!**

 **narnia and beareject fan 1 xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7: Dungeons and Horses

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia, just my plot and characters.**

 **Hey readers! Sorry! I know I'm a day late. I lost track of time yesterday. Thanks again to lost-in-elysium for the review! I really appreciate it!**

 **Only a short chapter this week, so enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 7: Dungeons and Horses**

"I'm so bored!" Abby complains for the umpteenth time as she counts how many scars are on my legs, since, apparently, her brain needs the stimulation and counting the scars on me is the only way to keep it stimulated or something like that. I don't know. She's starting to go a little bit loopy from being locked in here for thirty days if you ask me. I think the dark, rock walls are finally starting to get to her and it doesn't help that I can feel eyes watching our every move. I have a feeling that there are ghosts around, but Abigail just thinks I'm crazy. Maybe I am crazy, but I can't help it; it's dark in here and my mind is starting to create noises and see things. So as you can tell, she's not the only one who is starting to lose her mind in here. Though, I must say, even though we're locked in a dungeon, we still get better meals than what we get at Meteor Hole Orphanage and we still get treated like guests rather than inmates. In fact, if I had to stay in here for the rest of my life, I wouldn't mind one bit. We get fresh meat every night with nice, cold water and for breakfast we get some porridge like stuff that we often get in the Orphanage which is delicious and let's not forget lunch which tends to be toast with butter.

"I'm extremely bored too, Abigail, but you don't hear me complaining about it, do you?" I retort as I count the freckles that are spotted over her cheeks and nose. Twenty-one, twenty-two...

"No, but you're a naturally boring person, so this can't bother you too much." I glare at her. Do I reply to that or not?

"Hey! I'm not usually the loner in the orphanage; you are! So don't you dare start calling me a boring person or I will throw your 'Narnian Ground and Heritage History Book' into the fire once we get back." Her eyes narrow at me menacingly.

"Don't you dare touch that book!" she threatens.

"And what if I do?" And of course this reply turns into a full blown fight which makes the guards come in to split us up. Who knew that Abby could be such a little pixie?

"If you touch my book I will kill you!"

"Not if I kill you first!"

"Girls, please stop fighting!"

"NO! She's going to throw my book into the fire!"

"It's a BOOK! Why are you even bothered by this?"

"It's one of the rarest books in Narnia! If you throw it in the fire then I'm going to tell the High King and we'll both have to come back into court."

"That's stupid. The High King wouldn't put us on trial because I threw a book into the fire."

"Yes, he would!"

"No, he wouldn't!" And of course the Just King has to walk in at this exact moment. Sometimes, I really hate my life. I look up at him with crazy eyes before getting out of the guards grasp and running forward. I skid to a stop before getting onto my knees in front of him. "Please, let us out! I can't handle it anymore! This is our last day anyway? What are a few hours in the world of jail? It won't make much of a difference would it? That stone over there is watching me. It's watching me. You have to save me. It spoke to me earlier and told me that if I breathed, they would hear me. We've learnt our lesson. Please let us get back on with the mission. We need to get out of here!" I plead like a crazy person. Okay, so the small, begrimed space has definitely messed with my head, but can you blame me? It's even worse having to be locked up with little miss smarty pants over there. I need to get out of here!

"Whoa, Athalia; just relax. I've come to let you girls out. Your times up, so now you can go and find that prophecy." I look up at him before quickly standing and shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

"We're free?" He nods his head.

"Yes. Here's your satchel back and your sacks. All your weapons are to be returned to you at the gate. So that will be all. Good luck finding the prophecy! Make sure you don't get us all killed." He winks at me before he bursts out with laughter. I look at him before walking back over to Abigail.

"We can go home!" I cheer as I grab her hand. She beams at me before we get dragged back out of the castle by Oreius. As promised, I get my sword, bow and arrows, and dagger back almost immediately before we're shooed off the premises. As soon as the guards are out of sight, we cheer and jump up and down with excitement.

"Welcome back into the real world!" the Professors voice greets us. Abby and I both stop jumping and turn to look at him.

"Thanks, Mr. Hogelsworth!" Abby and I both exclaim at the same time.

"You're welcome. Now, why don't you tell me all about your time in the dungeon," he states with a smile. I grimace.

"We would love to, Mr Hogelsworth, we really would, but we really should be going. It's a long walk to be able to get to Caldron Pool, it's over the other side of the country, and we've already wasted a month. According to you, we only have a month left!" I tell him.

"Walking? Oh no, you two aren't going to walk there, don't be ridiculous. I've got horses lined up for you both." I freeze. Horses?

"Oh no! Absolutely not! I'm not getting on a horse, Mr. Hogelsworth!"

"Athalia, you're going to have to get over the fear and just do it. We really don't have much time. Do it for your country." I frown. How did he know I have a fear of horses? Well I suppose it could have something to do with my reaction as soon as he mentioned that word. The stray thought once again makes me suspicious of Mr. Hogelsworth. Who is he?

"I don't have a choice do I?" I reply once I come back to reality. He shakes his head.

"Not in this case, Alia." I sigh.

"Okay then. I guess I'll just have to endure it." Not that I'm happy about it, I add in my head.

"Great! Here they are now and remember, the fate of Narnia rests in your hands." Well if that's not going to freak me out completely, then I don't know what will! He chuckles at our blatant expressions. "Sorry, girls; I've just always wanted to say that."

Five minutes later, everything is set. We see the horses tied up to two trees as we slowly approach Tash's spawn. One of them has pure white fur. It looks smooth and velvety, kind of comfortable too. The other one is a tan colour with the same kind of texture to its fur. Even I have to admit that they do look friendly, it doesn't mean I go anyway near them though.

"Alia, it's going to be fine! It's just a horse." Abby grabs my hand and pulls me harshly over to the tan one.

"No, no, no! Get that thing away from, Abigail! I want to walk; I don't want to do this anymore! Abigail, let me go! Please, just get it away from me!" My heart feels like it's about to pound out of my chest as I get so close to the horse that I can touch it, if I want to that is, which I most certainly don't want! "Abigail, I'm serious! Get her away from me; I can't stand being this close to one of those things!" She sighs and lets go of my hand. I instantly take a few steps back.

"Alia, we don't have time to do this. The end of Narnia as we know it is at foot and we can't even do anything about it because you're scared of a little horse. Here, watch me." She goes over to the white horse and gently strokes its nose. It neighs in approval and its head dips lower. "See, it's easy. You can have a go now." I hesitate. "If you could help me conquer my fear of the dark and tight spaces, then I can help you overcome this silly fear of horses. Just pretend it's a centaur, Athalia. A nice, friendly centaur." I take a deep breath in and try to imagine a human head and torso on the tan horses' body. It works for a second as I find my feet pulling me towards the horse, before reality sets back in. I stop, mere inches from its face. "Good, now reach out and touch its nose."

"Nice, horsey," I say as I reach my shaky hand out towards her. As soon as I touch her nose, I relax. Maybe horses aren't that bad after all. She neighs appreciatively as Abby smiles brightly at me.

"See! You did it, Alia! Now we have to get on their backs." My nerves kick back into gear again as I remember the last time I rode a horse. What if it kicks me off its back? "It's easy, Athalia. Watch me again," she says as she hoists herself up onto the mares back. Well I suppose that doesn't look too bad. Okay, time to woman up, Alia. Just do it! What's the worst that could happen? I could fall off and DIE! That does seem unlikely. I may fall off, but that's perfectly normal for beginner riders.

I take a few deep breaths in and carefully walking over to the horses' side. I grab onto her mane, like I had just seen Abby do, before I try unsuccessfully to hoist my leg over the horses' body. I try again, only to come up with the same result. I try a third time, no success. By the fourth time, I'm ready to kill the lousy animal.

"Abby, I can't get my leg over it!" I scream, annoyed beyond belief. She sighs.

"Just fling it over, Alia, don't try bending your leg when you do it." I do as she suggests, still shaking with fright, before I find myself sitting on its back. "Alia! You did it!" I smile brightly as I suddenly realise that she's right.

"I can't believe I just did that," I say, still shaking. The ground suddenly looks very far away. On second thought, I don't like this! "Abby, let's just go. The sooner I can get back on the ground and off this thing the better. Now tell me, how do I steer?" I tug on the horses' mane to see if that would do anything. The horse moves, but I can't tell if it's because I'm doing it right or if it's because I made her angry.

"Gently kick its sides, Alia." She demonstrates with a very gentle kick to the side of her mare. It starts slowly walking. I take a deep breath in and try to gently kick its sides, only it isn't very gentle, so instead of slowly walking, the horse bolts forward. I grab onto its mane for dear life. "Athalia! Kick its sides again!" I do that immediately only to have the horse come to a very sudden halt, swinging me off of its side in the process. I fall onto the ground with a hard knock to my hip.

"Ouch!" I exclaim as I rub my side. I look down to check for blood, but come up clean – thankfully! "Stupid horse!" I shout. I suddenly have a very strong urge to kick it hard. I hear Abby run up to me then as I stand up. "Horse's hate me, it's official."

"No they don't! You just need to practice – "

"Why don't I just go on the back of yours?" I suggest, annoyed. She sighs and nods her head in agreement.

"Good idea." She jumps up onto hers first and grabs onto the mane, before I try to jump again. It takes me a few more times, but I manage to get up in the end. "Okay, are we ready to go now?" I give her the go-ahead before we begin moving. Too soon we're running as fast as a fox through a forest. I hold onto Abby for dear life as we disappear into the shrub.

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	8. Chapter 8: Kings and Waterfalls

**Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia, only my plot and characters.**

 **Hey readers! I want to apologise profusely for not updating for a few weeks. Life got on top of me and I just haven't had a chance to jump on and update. Thank you once again to everyone who has followed, reviewed, and alerted so far; it means the world to me! I hope you enjoy this new chapter. :)**

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 **Chapter 8: Kings and Waterfalls**

"Alia, how much longer until we're there? I'm really tired," Abby whines for the millionth time as we continue our trek through the mist covered forest. We've been riding along on the back of this horse for days now, only taking breaks for rest and food. Cue shudder. I can't stand the stench of this thing anymore. I'm honestly starting to think of walking to Caldron Pool now. This inane mare can't seem to make up its mind either. We ask it to run, it walks; we ask it to walk, and it runs. I groan with irritation as it starts suddenly galloping again. And of course I fall off again. I mumble some unintelligible words to myself as I dust the dirt off my back and legs. This is the twelfth time I've fallen off since we started our adventure; I'm covered in bruises from head to toe. I'm just thankful that every time I've fallen off of its back it's been above soft ground so there haven't been any bad injuries.

I check myself quickly for any new reminders of this stupid creature before I stand up slowly and hoist myself up stiffly onto the horse. I feel the regular jolt before we begin trotting away again. It doesn't make my mood any better with little smart mouth Abigail sitting here either. She can't seem to shut her trap. I've heard the same stories repeated at least ten times now and when she's not telling me a story, she's complaining. Seriously, anything that can possibly be bad about this trip, she has complained about. "Alia, I'm hungry. Can I eat some more?" "Alia, I'm tired, let's take a break." "Alia, how much longer until we're there?" "Alia, I felt a drop of water on my head. It felt like saliva. I think a werewolf is about to jump on top of me." Alia, Alia, Alia. Honestly, what was I thinking when I decided to bring her? "Alia, can we stop for another break? I need to let out some bodily fluids," she asks, pulling me from my annoyed reverie. I sigh.

"If you must. Just be quick; we're a long way behind schedule now." She jumps off as soon as I give her permission and runs into some shrubbery. A few minutes later she returns, looking awfully excited about something. My mind instantly jumps to the best conclusion.

"Why are you so excited?" I inquire, the beginning of a small smile tugging on the corner of my lips.

"I could hear a waterfall from where I was." I almost scream out in joy, almost being the key word there, before she jumps back up in front of me and starts the horse again. We turn sharply to the left and sure enough a few meters in, the faint sound of thundering water can be heard. We ride on in silence, both of us shaking with joy. I feel a smile creep onto my face as we exit the coolness of the forest and enter into the warmness of the clearing. The beautiful, serene picture of Caldron Pool immediately comes into view. With its splendid snow, topped mountains and crystal-clear water it's easily considered one of the prettiest places in all of Narnia. The morning sun's rays are just starting to appear through the mist, causing the earthly colours of the rock and ground to look more picturesque than ever; the water itself is the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen. The need to jump into the cool, inviting pool is more tempting than ever, but I know better. Caldron pool has taken lives before. The way the water falls into the churning pool below causes a strong whirlpool of sorts to appear. Once you're stuck in it, it is extremely hard to get out again, hence the reason how creatures have managed to die in it. Miss Fink has told us the correct way of getting out though, which, I suppose, could come in handy if we need to go in at all today.

"Finally!" Abby exclaims as she jumps off and runs over to the water's edge. I grin before jumping off myself and grabbing our sacks off of the horses' sides and back. Once they're off, I walk over to where Abby is. She leans down next to the pool and eagerly dips her hands in before scooping up some water and taking a long drink. I do the same once I've put down the sacks. "Did you tie up the horse, Athalia?" she asks me suddenly, her eyes suspicious.

"No, I'm hoping it will run away. I never want to see that – thing – again," I tell her. My hope is that it gets bored and decides to run away into the wilderness. Oh please, Aslan; let that happen!

"How are we supposed to get home if we don't have a horse though?" Isn't she supposed to be the smart one?

"We walk?" I ask her rather dumbly. She sighs.

"I'm going to go and tie her up." It takes all my effort not to run forward and grab her so that she can't. If I tie Abigail up to a tree trunk, will I get into trouble? I wonder aimlessly as she walks over to the horse and continues to tie it up to an old oak tree. Probably. She sits down next to the pool again as I get my mind back to the task at hand.

"We should probably get a move on, Abigail. We've already wasted enough time as it is. Where do you think the next clue will be?" I question as I grab the previous clue and read effortlessly over all the words. In little caves and rock beds…hmm. "Abby, can you please do me a really big favour?" I have her undivided attention within a millisecond.

"Yes?"

"Go under the waterfall and see whether you can find a clue on the rock bed." Her eyes widen.

"Are you crazy? I would die if I did that! Why can't you do it?" Is she serious?

"I'd like to remind you of the fact that I'm not the one who turns into a mermaid whenever I enter this water." She sighs in defeat.

"I'm not that strong at swimming yet, though."

"You'll be fine! Mermaids do this all the time." She looks uneasily at me.

"Are you sure that's where the next clue is?" She's sceptical; fantastic.

"It does say in little caves and rock beds…" I trail off.

"Fine, I'll check it, but if I start drowning you'd better come in after me," she warns. I smile in recognition.

"Okay. Agreed," I reply. She grimaces, but turns towards the waterfall any way. She passes me her small satchel of food before she dives into the deep, blue pool. Her green tail vanishes into the water a second later, leaving me to wonder whether I've done the right thing or not. I sure hope it is down there and that nothing happens to her. She'll be fine; she is a mermaid after all. I frown. Why did I tell her to do this? I'm so stupid! The loud crashing of the falls is the only thing that can be heard as I wait for her to surface again. Butterflies start to build up in the pit of my stomach as the minutes tick by. After five minutes of sitting here alone, I start to panic. "Abby? Abigail Hussenock?" I call out experimentally. Usually, she's able to hear me from under the water and will pop her head up to show me that she's okay, but she doesn't do that this time. In fact, she doesn't re-surface at all. "Abigail!" I shout out, louder this time. Nothing. Shivers, why did I make her do this? I'm so stupid! What do I do?

Without thinking, I dive into the water. My body goes into shock for a moment as I realise how cold the water is; my brain not working how it's supposed to due to it. I open my eyes to see if I can see Abby then, only to catch the colour of her tail in the corner of my eye. I surface for air, feeling myself being sucked into the current of the whirlpool, before I dive back under again. I look around frantically again before I spy her. She's floating in the water, her small body getting thrashed around like a rag doll. I hold back my panic as I swim as quickly as I can over to her. I grab her small body before I pull her through the water. I swim her down a little deeper to where the current isn't as strong before pulling her towards the bank. As soon as I see the land, I surface; sucking in air like I haven't breathed for years. I drag her out of the water then and turn her to her side as soon as she's on flat ground. She coughs and splutters as she chokes up water.

"I'm so sorry, Abigail! I wasn't thinking! I shouldn't have sent you under there, I'm such an idiot. Stay right there; I'll go and grab you a towel," I say as I stand up and run over to our sacks. I tear her's open and grab her towel before running back over to her and drying her off as quickly as a fox runs. Her tail vanishes shortly after making it easier to check on her. She still seems a bit dreary, but at least she's alive. Thank Aslan. I give her a few more minutes to properly come back to reality by going and getting an apple to give to her. She gives me a short, "thank you," as she tries sitting up. I smile at her reassuringly. "How do you feel?" I ask her, a bit calmer now that she's actually sitting up and responding to me. She takes a bite of the red fruit before smiling faintly.

"Amazing!" Maybe she hit her head? That's the only explanation on why it would be amazing to almost die! She obviously sees the confusion on my face for she continues on to say, "I found the clue. It's on the pool bank over there." I can't help but laugh a little. Of course that's why she would be happy! She has a new clue to translate. I stand up and walk over to the bank and sure enough there's a rolled up piece of parchment in an old, spiced-wine bottle sitting on the dirt. I open the bottle and pull out the clue.

"I can't believe you actually managed to grab it," I say, extremely impressed with her skills. I hear her giggle as I walk back over to her and sit down.

"Well I didn't go through a near death experience for nothing. Surely you had enough faith in me to believe that I would find it, Athalia." I shrug unapologetically.

"I suppose I was a little bit worried about you when you didn't come up after I called you. The mission was the last thing on my mind." She smiles at me and cuddles into my side.

"Well thank you for saving my life." I grin down at her and wrap my free arm around her.

"Any time, Abby. You know that. Now, would you like to do the honour of opening the clue?" I ask while offering it over to her.

"It would be my pleasure," she responds as she grabs it and un-rolls it. She clears her throat before she begins reading it to me. "Fer keital fodus yoelsmf pae paima jamt, paim nirm eparirl aon solen whalnif. Hir aon brisneg ha aon gieral, sofl heiahus aon raemsof fer bolin temai ol."

"Which means…" I encourage. She sends me a glare for a second making me laugh. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry! How long do you want for this one?"

"Give me thirty minutes." I smile and nod at her.

"Okay. If you need me, I'll be over there on that rock drying off in the sun." She nods once in recognition before she buries her nose into the clue. I get up quietly and walk over to the grey rock before sitting down on it. My legs dangle from the edge of the boulder as my skin soaks up the suns early-morning rays. My mind begins to wander aimlessly then as the mist starts to lift from the green, leaf-covered ground. The morning sun beating down dries me and warms me up pretty quickly also. I feel myself starting to unconsciously drift off to sleep, so I lay down. I sigh in contentment at the heat radiating off of the rock and onto my back as I close my eyes and fall asleep.

"Alia, wake up. Alia…" I hear Abby whisper into my ear as she shakes me gently. I groan.

"Yes?" I ask as I sit up and rub the sleep out of my eyes.

"I managed to work out the clue amidst your awful, loud snoring." I don't bother to glare at her; the news that I snore is nothing new to me. Instead I can't help but get excited over the fact that she managed to translate the clue. I'm so glad I took Abby with me. None of the other orphans would've been able to translate the clues like she can. Nobody can translate the clues like she can! She must have like a second brain or something!

"So what does it say?" I ask her excitedly, coming out of my thoughts. She smiles at me and opens up the clue again.

"'With one swift movement of your hand, you will find the dark land. In the forest is the key, pull back the lever and come with me.' I have a feeling that this is where the map of Narnia comes in handy. Are there any markings on the map that state where the lever may be located?" I frown.

"I don't think so. Let me double check though. We may have missed something," I say as I open my satchel and pull out the map. I un-fold it and look carefully over it, trying to spot any odd markings around Caldron Pool. That's when I spy a marking on the map, just near where we are. It's in the shape of a long stick coming out a rock. "I think I found it, Abby." I give her the map and point to the marking.

"I'd say that's it, Alia. Should we find that rock?" I nod.

"That sounds like a great idea," I approve. We begin our search then, both of us agreeing to split up and look in different areas. I guess that the lever is around us somewhere, so I tell her not to go too far out. I also manage to convince her to take a dagger, explaining to her that we're close to the Western Woods and that there could be bad things around. She nods in understanding and takes the shiny, but deadly, weapon before she heads off into the thicket. I go the opposite way to her, feeling a little bit less worried now that she has a weapon to defend herself with. The sun's up fully now, much to my relief, as I stroll through the happy forest, looking for any signs of a rock with a lever next to it or coming out of it. My search proves fairly unsuccessful as I stop a few kilometres away. Oh well! I sigh in defeat and begin to walk back when I hear a loud band echo throughout the forest. I stop instantaneously, trying to figure out which way the sound is coming from. It's not coming from the east, or the north, or the south. My eyes grow wide as I realise that the sound is coming from the waterfall. Abby! I dash off at a full sprint back through the forest, skilfully avoiding all the dead tree branches and logs. I exit the forest only to breathe a deep sigh of relief when I see Abigail standing there with a smile on her face. That can only mean one thing… "You found it," I gasp. She smiles ruefully.

"I hope you don't mind that I also pulled it, but that's not important; look at the cliff face!" she tells me excitedly as she runs over to me. I move my gaze over to the cliff next to the waterfall and smile. A large cave has suddenly been revealed. "I think it may have opened when I pulled the lever. This is a good thing, isn't it?" she guesses.

"Yes, it's a very good thing! Good work, Abigail. So, do we go inside or is there another clue that we have to find first?" Abby looks at me sheepishly. She's nibbling on her lip; she only does that when she has done something that she's unsure about. I narrow my eyes.

"What have you done?"

"I found another clue and have already started deciphering it." I laugh. Of course she has, she's a smart girl!

"Why are you so unsure about that? That's great! You keep doing that while I go and check out the cave," I encourage her while I begin walking towards the gaping hole. She smiles and ducks her head back down so that she can start decoding again. The crunching of leaves draws my attention behind me. Footsteps? I turn around expecting to see Abby near me, but become disappointed when I see her sitting in the same spot that I left her. I shake my head. That dungeon has made me insane apparently. I turn back around and instantly hear the leaves again. Something is definitely here. I freeze, confusing the thing that's following me. The footsteps stop after a few seconds. Okay, that sound definitely came from the shrubbery next to me. I unsheathe my sword and slowly turn towards the bush before I jolt forwards. I feel, and hear, my sword clash with another one immediately. I don't lose my mind for a second though. I take a step back and suddenly I find myself fighting something that I can't seem to see. Leaves are flying all around me as the swords meet each other in the bush time and time again. This is crazy. I need to draw whatever it is out. "Show yourself at once or are you too scared to fight a girl?" I ask with a smirk, alright in position to strike when the thing appears.

"Please, don't flatter yourself. I'm not too scared to fight you, Athalia," a familiar, male voice replies. Where have I heard that voice? I lower my sword.

"You might know my name, but I don't have any clue who you are, so show yourself!" The man steps out of the bushes slowly and I quickly look up at his face. "Your Majesty?" Great, just great!

"Actually, it's Majesties." King Edmund steps out from the shrubbery next. He smirks at my shocked expression before chuckling slightly. "Surely it's not that unexpected."

"No, I'm honestly shocked right now," I reply, my voice seemingly dry.

"Well that's surprising! I thought you would've been expecting us," the High King interjects with a smirk on his face. I grimace.

"Why would you think that?" I question confusedly.

"Because we were interested in what you were telling us at the castle and we showed interest in tagging along," King Edmund says.

"No, I didn't think that for one minute. I was too concerned about our heads being cut off." The two Kings both laugh at the expression on my face which is obviously one of confusion and shock.

"Good, I'm glad you're surprised; it means my – our – stealth skills are getting better." I almost laugh in amusement at the High King before I catch myself. We're not supposed to like the High King, remember? Don't laugh! "Say, where's Abigail?" he asks suddenly, disrupting my thoughts. I don't have a reply for him, so I just point over to Abby, confused to high heavens. He smiles. "Thank you," he replies as he slowly runs over to her. I glance after him for a second before my mouth gapes open without my permission.

"Um…what just happened?" King Edmund, who's still standing next to me, laughs.

"We just surprised you. I'll let my brother explain why we're here though, so we should probably follow after him." My mind is racing a million miles a minute as I follow after him, rather stunned if you ask me. What just happened?

"Abigail, good to see you," the High King greets as he kneels down to her. She looks up at him carefully.

"You too, Your Majesty," she replies with a bow of her head, since she's sitting down and obviously can't curtsey. "If you don't mind my asking, Your Majesty – I mean Your Majesties – " she corrects as she notices the other King next to me. "What are you doing out here?" she questions him slowly. I mentally slap myself for not asking that question. Yes, it should've been a pretty obvious question, Alia.

"We're here to come and find this prophecy with you. Since it does have something to do with our Kingdom and with national security, we figured we would help out," he answers. My mouth drops open as my eyes bulge out of my head. WHAT!

"Your Majesty, I don't care if this has something to do with your country or not. We got sent on this mission, not you. So you can very well waltz back to your fancy castle and do whatever it is that you do there and leave this to us," I cut in with narrowed eyes, completely ignoring the other King for the moment. I don't mind it if King Edmund wants to tag along, but his older brother is not, repeat NOT, coming with us! He already has everything that he can ever want; this is our time to shine.

"Actually, we do have a right. It's our country and since this prophecy has a direct influence on our country, we have the rights as the Kings," he replies with a smirk.

"Oh, you think I won't allow your little brother to come along with us?" I laugh despite the glare he's sending me. "Well you're mistaken. I don't mind if he wants to help, I just don't want you to come. So you can't." Abby looks up at me with wide eyes before she looks back up at him, her mouth agape in shock.

"I'm sorry for Athalia's awful behaviour towards you, High King. You can come," she clarifies.

"No, you can't," I clarify back.

"Yes, you can."

"No, he can't."

"Yes, he can. He's the High King." I grit my teeth. Unless...I turn back to him with a smirk.

"What about your Kingdom though? You can't just leave it defenceless," I state. Yes, we've finally caught him out! He dares to laugh at me though.

"Well, everything was organised back at the castle. We've got our sisters looking after the kingdom while we're away and all the meetings have been postponed," King Edmund butts in. I lock my jaw. Is there no way of keeping him away?

"Well, you can tell them to arrange all those meetings again because he's," I point menacingly at the High King, "not coming!"

"I am coming whether you like it or not. Aslan told me a few nights ago that we have to go with you two so that's why we're asking you." I narrow my eyes at him.

"But you haven't asked us at all! You just assumed that we'd let you come along without even asking if it's okay with us first!" I shout at him at the same time Abby says:

"It would be great to have such a fantastic warrior come along with us and, since Aslan told you to come, it's okay with us!" I look down to her disbelievingly, but she's not looking at me, she's looking at the Kings. Why is she arguing with me? Aren't I supposed to be in charge?

"Um, Abby…maybe we should discuss this first," I comment as I grab her hand and pull her up. I lead her away from the Kings and sit her down on a rock.

"What's there to discuss? He asked politely if they could come with us and I said y –"

"He didn't ask us politely, he pretty much commanded us to allow them to accompany us. That's the problem!" I cut her off. "Why did you say yes?"

"Like I told the Kings, it's a good idea to have a capable fighter along with us." I frown.

"I'm a capable fighter though." She sighs. Is it sad to say that that actually hurts my feelings a bit. Yes, yes it is.

"Of course you are, Alia, but wouldn't it be nice to have some extra protection along, and, anyway, like he said, this is Aslan's command. He wouldn't just send anyone along with us. Let's just let him come along. What's the worst thing that can happen?" There's a long silence while I think over her question.

"We do have King Edmund coming already though. Don't you think that's enough?" She blinks at me; silently answering my rhetorical question. I groan in annoyance. "Fine, the High King can come along, too, but only because it's Aslan's orders," I mumble, irritated beyond belief. She smiles at me.

"I knew you would give in eventually." And with those words she walks away, leaving me speechless. Smart mouth. I walk back over to Abby and the Kings then, kicking up dust as I do. Abby's already sitting down on the floor trying to figure out the clue again while the Kings are speaking to some centaurs who they obviously came here with. The centaurs both nod to the Kings and bow before taking up their flanks. I point to the guards with furrowed eyebrows.

"What are they doing here?" I ask the High King through gritted teeth. King Edmund answers me though, just proving to me how hopeless the High King is.

"They're our bodyguards. They must come with us for legal purposes and safety."

"We didn't agree to this," I say as I point between Abby and myself to enforce my words.

"You don't have to agree with anything; they must come with us. So, what are we doing? I can see Abigail reading something," the High King butts in, changing the subject quickly. I sigh.

"Well we're waiting for Abigail to finish translating the next clue," I say with a smirk, trying to be nice to him. He smiles.

"That sounds great. She must be pretty smart if she's able to translate it all by herself. Does it usually take her long?" he asks. I force a smile onto my face and fight the urge to roll my eyes as him. Great, now he's sucking up to her! Just what we need…

"It's all depending on the clue, Your Majesty. It can take anywhere from ten minutes to an hour." He grins down at her.

"That's extremely quick; I thought it would take her days to figure it out."

"Nope; she's fast," I say curtly.

"What language are the clues in?" King Edmund asks with curiosity as he leans over her shoulder to see what she's doing.

"They're in Old Narnian," I answer him happily with a large smile.

"Hmm…I wonder if she could translate it into another language?" the High King says out loud. I frown at him. Now he wants her to translate it into another language? Who does he think he is?

"Don't put pressure on her like that, okay? She's fine translating it into modern day Narnian. You're not in a castle anymore, High King. You don't have ten scholars translating these clues into whatever language pleases you. This is an important mission to us and I won't have you ruining it for us!" I say harshly. I can feel Abby's and the other King's eyes on me immediately.

"That's not what I meant. Could you please just let me expla – "

"No! You let me explain, Your Majesty. While you're with us, I'm in charge. I have the last say in every situation. I'm the one who has all the information we need for this mission; you don't know anything. After me comes Abigail. She's the one who's able to use her brains and work out things that normal people can't work out. She's the problem solver of our little group. Then finally you and your brother come in. You're here because this prophecy affects your Kingdom and to help us when we need it, but don't think for one moment that you're in charge of us. Leave your king hood behind for this mission because you're not a King on this mission; you're a seventeen, or how ever old you are, boy. It's imperative that we get to this prophecy before the other creature does. Don't destroy our chances of that and I might actually grow to like you as a friend, but, for now, listen closely to me. I don't like you; at all. If it wasn't for Abby having your back on this decision, you wouldn't be here right now; believe me, you should thank her. So try not to annoy me, or Abby, and you will likely see the light of day once more. If you purposely go out of your way to make this miserable for me though, you won't see the light of day again. So put aside your own little plans and whatever other issues you have that may hinder us on this mission and you'll be fine. Understand?" I cannot believe I just talked to the High King like that! I must be going mad! He's silent for a few minutes then, purposely avoiding all eye contact with me. I can't help but feel a little superior suddenly. I should've done that ages ago! Eventually he comes back to his senses though. He stands up straight and proud and looks me dead in the eye.

"Listen to me. I don't appreciate being spoken to like that, Athalia. That was a risky move. Be careful what you say from now on because I won't take it so lightly next time and if you'd be so kind enough as to fill me in on all the details of this mission, then I might be able to help you out more than you think," he replies, somewhat calmly for someone who just got told off by a girl. Oh, he's good.

"Alright then, I'll tell you. There's another creature after the prophecy. If this other creature gets there first then we're looking at the end of Narnia as we know it, which is why it's so important for us to get there first." He nods his head a few times.

"Thank you, Athalia. I appreciate you for filling me in on all the details. Now, Abigail, are you done yet?" he asks, turning away from me. Did he just change the subject? I hold back a laugh at the thought as he walks over to Abby.

"I've got one more word and then I'll tell you the translation." I smile at her. She really is smart. If only I was as smart as her. I sigh. Yes, if only…

"What about now?" the King asks a few seconds later, with a teasing tone. Abby laughs at him, obviously picking up on his teasing.

"Yes, I'm finally done. 'The three way path is hard to find, use the light and come inside.' I think it means inside the cave, Alia." I nod in agreement.

"It sounds like it, but we can't just go inside the cave without some light. Here, help me light the torches," I say as I grab the wooden sticks out of our sacks and light them up easily. I hand one of them to the High King, one of them to King Edmund, and hold one myself.

"Can't I hold one?" Abby whines as she picks up the sacks. I shake my head at her.

"You need to be able to work out clues; you can't hold a torch while you do that," I explain. She frowns, but doesn't bother to push her point any further. "Are we ready to go?" I ask once everyone is settled.

"Yes, I do believe so. Ladies first," the High King says as he gestures for us to go ahead of him with a admittedly pleasant smile.

"Ladies first, ha! Like you really mean that," I tell him bluntly as I shove past him and walk towards the dark entrance. Abby grabs my spare hand and looks up at me with a frown.

"Can't you at least try and be nice?" I smile sweetly at her.

"I did try, but something about him really annoys me," I say. She sighs before she asks:

"Alia, what do you think it meant when it talked about a three way path?" I'm about to reply, but the King cuts in before I have the chance.

"It probably means that there will be a three way split in the path somewhere." I frown and let out a deep breath.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the King's right. We'll be careful," I say hesitantly. Abby smiles at me as the King comes to a stop next to me. I suddenly feel myself start to sweat as I hesitate at the opening of the cave. It's really dark and who knows what lies ahead.

"Are you thinking of leaving us?" the King asks as I pause at the opening of the cave. It's not that I'm scared, just nervous at the thought of going into the unknown black pit.

"No, of course not!" I say shakily.

"You are thinking about leaving, aren't you," Abby adds on slowly as she reads the expression on my face. I frown.

"No. I just had a moment of thought that led me to worrying about what we're going to find when we go in there, but I'm fine now, so let's go," I reply as I grab Abby's hand and pull her into the darkness.

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Please drop me a review, fav, and alert ir you did! I love to get feedback on my stories!**

 **And that's it from me for now. Until next time!**

 **narnia and beareject fan 1**


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